It's A Start
by Sage of Angst
Summary: Chapter 14 uploaded; The point of no return has been reached, and Gohan makes his decision: but what is this 'feeling' he speaks of, and why does Videl seem to fear him so...?
1. Control

Title: It's a Start  
  
Rating: PG (just cause it's not something Disney'd want)  
  
Author: Sage  
  
Pairing(s): Gohan/ Videl  
  
Comments: Yay! Ever since seeing the post—Cell saga, it's been Gh/V this and Gh/V that. Here's the product—expect more soon!   
  


_It's A Start_

  
  
She went over the scene in her head for the thousandth time, struggling to discern just where she went wrong. What could she have done differently?  
  
It was a "routine" hijacking: nothing special, just some run-of-the- mill thugs out to make some quick cash at the expense of those weaker than themselves. Thugs she shouldn't have, and in her eyes _didn't, waste a second punch on.  
  
So if it was so easy, how had things gone from firmly in control to out of her hands entirely so quickly? She'd stopped the hijackers, shouldn't she have immediately taken over driving the bus? Should've… could've… didn't.  
  
Instead she waited a moment. Only a moment, but just long enough for the bus to complete its course over the cliff the thugs had geared it toward.  
  
Do you know what it feels like to be totally "not in control"? Where nothing you can say or do will change the outcome? Videl Satan did. She'd felt it the instant those bus wheels left the ground and it plunged downward, like an erratic roller coaster.  
  
All she could focus on was her body and the ground, and the hundred or so feet of air separating the two. Would it hurt when they hit? Could she jump out now and land safely, away from the wreckage? Maybe, but the other poor souls on the bus couldn't.  
  
They say that when you're about to die, your life flashes before your eyes. It doesn't, because, if you know you're going to die, then that's all you can think about. It couldn't end like this! But it wasn't like this situation could be dealt with with a punch and a sweep. She was as vulnerable and as likely to die as the feeble old woman crocheting in the seat behind the driver.  
  
Then a miracle happened.  
  
The burden of the knowledge that she could do nothing to save herself or anyone else was lifted from her shoulders. No screams of agony, but cheers. No crashing and ripping of metal, but shouts of joy and wild applause. They had all been saved by a being she would later come to address as "Saiyaman."_

*****

  
  
_The following day at school:  
  
Gohan lugged his bulging grocery bag of food across the campus with some effort. He jogged along at a moderate pace, eager to empty it of its contents, toward his lunch tree across the baseball field. He enjoyed eating underneath its shady branches mostly because of the privacy it provided. Almost all of the other students ate in the lunchroom, even though they were allowed to eat anywhere in the field.  
  
However, today, he noticed, another figure seemed to have discovered the simple pleasures his lunch tree provided: that someone was Videl Satan. He slowed down and approached her at a walk.  
  
"Videl?" She gasped and whipped her head up from the patch of ground se had been gazing at intently for some reason.  
  
"Gohan!"  
  
_

"Oh, sorry, I must've disturbed you; it's just, you're not over on this side of the field too often—don't you usually sit with Sharpner and Eresa?" She nodded.  
  
"No, It's ok, you didn't disturb me, I just… needed some space for a while."  
  
"Oh, then I guess that defeats the purpose of my coming over here and joining you."  
  
"Oh, no, you stay, I should probably get going." She grabbed onto the trunk and stood up, gathered her things, then began to walk back across the field.  
  
Gohan gauged her demeanor for a moment. "Wait up, hey! Videl!" he called, motioning for her to come back. She stopped and turned to listen. "You don't need to leave, really, it's ok. That is—not if you don't want to." He glanced up into the tree branches above his head. "In fact, we've got a while before the lunch period is over. Wanna join me?" He pointed upwards into the tree.  
  
Videl's gaze followed his finger up into the tree, then she brought it back down to meet his, giving him a strange look. "Up there? In the tree?" she asked incredulously.  
  
He nodded. "I eat up there almost everyday, it's great! C'mon!" With one hand he grabbed his lunch sack, and with the other swung himself up onto a low branch, then another, and another, and another, until a voice far below him called up to him to slow down.  
  
"Not all of us are monkeys, Gohan! Where were you raised, the jungle?" Videl panted as she pulled herself up onto a branch beside the demi-Saiyan.  
  
"Heh, sorry, guess I was a little fast. I, uh, climbed a lot as a kid." He gently set down his grocery bag in the crook of two branches and began munching its contents. "So, Videl," he began between mouthfuls, "what brings you over on this side of the campus? You said you usually sit with Sharpner and Eresa."  
  
"Yeah, but, I don't know. Sometimes I just need to get outside in the fresh air and… think."  
  
"I saw that when I was walking over here. You looked like you were trying to glare the ground to death. Can I…" He paused. "Can I ask about what? You don't have to—"  
  
"Just…stuff," she muttered absently, and began fingering a leaf she held in her hands. Gohan finished one sandwich and started on another, a few more minutes passing in silence.  
  
"Gohan, how much control do you have over your destiny?" Videl bluntly asked, puncturing the silence that had enveloped the two. "I mean, do you think you control what happens in your own life, Gohan?"  
  
"Destiny?" he mused. "Well, I guess so. I don't think anyone else can control my fate."  
  
"Right," she agreed unconvincingly. She was silent again, staring at the leaf.  
  
"Why did you ask that?"  
  
"Huh?" Videl snapped from her thoughts. "Oh, no reason, really, just thinking." Thinking, right… She glanced at her watch. "The bell's gonna ring soon; we'd better get down." She pushed her legs down and began to slide to a lower branch, then Gohan grabbed her arm.  
  
"Hold on just a minute Videl Satan; you haven't given me one straight answer the entire time we've been up here, and we're not leaving until you do. Now, something's obviously wrong with you because you've been out of it all day." He gave her a knowing look, and she sighed and sat back onto the branch she had occupied before.  
  
"I guess… it wouldn't hurt to tell just you," she confided. "It's just—weird. You know the hijackers I stopped yesterday? The ones on the bus?" Gohan nodded, he did. _'I was there,' he said to himself.  
  
"You didn't get hurt or anything, did you?" he asked aloud.  
  
She shook her head. "No… no I didn't get hurt exactly." __'Exactly?' Gohan wondered. "It's just, I let all those people on the bus down. I—I almost got them killed, and they would've been, if Saiyaman hadn't been there. I would've been dead…" she trailed off. _

"I've been fighting crime for over five years now, since I first learned how to from watching my dad, and I've never been afraid of any situation I've had to face: thieves, murderers, hijackers, all kinds of nuts. But now…" She pulled her legs up to her chin and leaned back up against the trunk of the tree. 

"It's like I can't handle it anymore. It's starting—I won't be able to take control of the situations I come up against, like that hijacking. I was ok at first, took out the hijackers and everything, then bam! Just like that, it wasn't up to me anymore whether I lived or died. As that bus started going down, I could only think, 'Gone, I'm gone, I'm going to die,' and… I was scared. I'm a Satan, I can't get scared! But, there was nothing I could do about it. I mean, what if Saiyaman hadn't been there? No one can ever fully understand what it feels like to experience that, and then once you do, you never forget," she finished.  
  
Gohan didn't say anything for a few moments, letting it all sink into him and musing over Videl's dilemma of staying in control of a situation. He'd seldom felt that way: the only times he could think of were when either his or his friends lives were directly in danger—Cell, Frieza, Vegeta and Nappa to name a few. He was always in control, because he was secure in his power—then, how to help Videl…? He'd have to break one or two of his rules, to say the least.  
  
"Guess you think I'm not as tough as I claim to be, huh? Just a weak little girl underneath a tough façade."  
  
"No, Videl," he gently corrected, "you're not weak, and I do understand what you're feeling, believe it or not. Like you wish you could do something, anything, to save those you feel it's your duty to protect? Like you can't just sit around and watch something happen and not try to change it? Not just sit there, close your eyes, grit your teeth, and wait for fate?"  
  
"Yeah!" She turned around and looked at him strangely, then smiled. "Y'know, you'd make a good psychiatrist, Gohan."  
  
He smirked, "Maybe."  
  
"I… thanks. It does feel a little better to talk to someone about it. A little."  
  
Gohan's smirk changed into a smile. "Anytime Videl, I'm here. In fact, you know what, I think I know a way to make it a lot better." She looked at him quizzically.  
  
"Huh?"  
  
"Just give me a little trust and meet me at the foot of this tree after school, ok?"  
  
"But—" Just then the bell rang, ending lunch.  
  
"Oh, sorry Videl! Gotta go! See ya after school, ok?" With that he wadded up his now empty lunch sack and slipped down from branch to branch until he reached the base, leaving a very steamed Videl at the top.  
  
"Ooh! That—boy!" 

*****

  
  
As soon as the final bell rang, officially ending the school day, Videl threw on her backpack and made her way out to the baseball field at top speed. After lunch she'd had no more classes with Gohan, and her curiosity at his proposal had mounted since then—now she was ready to kill if she didn't get some answers. There was no baseball practice today, so the field was empty, save for a single figure standing underneath a large tree.  
  
She jogged over to him, shouting along the way. "I can't believe you, Son Gohan! I pour out my troubles to you, in a tree of all places, you psychoanalyze me, then take off, claiming you have a solution to all my problems—"  
  
He held up his hands. "Whoa, hold up, Videl, I never said I had the solution to your problems. Just a way to… I guess, make them a little easier to handle."  
  
She gave him a hard glare, then a softened a little. Just a little. "Well, what is it, then? You've made me wait all this time, so it better be good," she demanded, stamping her foot in irritation. Gohan cast a furtive glance around the empty field, then looked at Videl.  
  
"Well," he began, "when that bus went over the cliff, tell me again how you felt."  
  
"…weak, out of control, I—I told you earlier Gohan, you know."  
  
"Right, I know. Now, what would you say if I told you that I could put you back in control of that same situation if you had to do it again?"  
  
She stared at him blankly. "That you were crazy."  
  
He laughed. "Maybe," he said, then added mysteriously. "But the again, maybe not." He put on the same smirk he'd had on earlier, reminiscent of Vegeta. "Watch," he said softly, and stepped back a few feet from her. As she watched, bored, he lifted above the grass- first a few feet, then higher, higher, until, had she been capable of moving, she would have had to squint to see him. He swiftly dropped back to the ground after a moment, landing with the catlike grace he inherently possessed. Videl, on the other hand fell roughly to the ground, from pure shock, and leaned back on her hands, mouth gaping open, stuttering.  
  
"G—G—you…h—S—flew—eh—b…how…huh?"   
  
Gohan looked concerned for a moment, then figured out what the problem was. "Oh, uh, I guess I should've warned you…"  
  
Being the daughter of Hercule, she quickly regained her composure and stood up, beginning to think aloud, trying to offer a logical explanation for what had just happened. "But—how?! That's impossible—humans can't fly!" Gohan moved to interject that yes, humans _can fly, but she stopped him with a held up hand. "No, there have to be wires around here—come here you!" She stomped up to him and began to circle him, patting him down while looking for hooks and strings.  
  
"Videl—it's not a trick—it's just—" She walked around to his front and leaned up into his face.  
  
"Saiyaman could 'fly' too! I bet you're him! Yeah, I can see it now, you're the same height, same goofy voice. Fooling people into thinking you can fly, sneaking off when I've got my back turned—"  
  
"Saving people? Videl, you're going to have to drop this predisposition to thinking everything you can't explain is some trick meant to undermine you. I showed you this to help you." Her face changed, and she leaned back.  
  
"Ok, say I believe you, how's you knowing how to fly supposed to help me? Want me to deputize you or something?"  
  
"Nope," he grinned, "I'm going to teach you!" Videl's mouth fell open again. "Still think it's a trick?"  
  
She pushed her mouth shut and thought for a moment, then sat down on the grass. "This flying, you say you can teach it?" He nodded. "Then where'd you learn it from?" She added, chuckling, "From Saiyaman?"  
  
It was perfect! Gohan had been worried she'd quickly make the connection between him and his alter ego, but she'd just provided him with the perfect excuse as to why he knew how to fly. It was a foolproof cover! "How'd you guess?" he asked innocently, adding a dejected tone to his voice.  
  
Videl clapped a hand to her forehead. "You're kidding me! How's a guy like you know Saiyaman? He only just showed up yesterday!"  
  
"Well…" he began slowly, searching for a convincing explanation, "I found out who he was, and to keep me from telling anyone, he… taught me how to fly! Pretty nice, huh?" Videl gave him a staredown, unsure of whether or not she should believe him.  
  
"In less then twenty-four hours?"  
  
Gohan gulped, she'd want to learn that fast now, too! Stupid, Gohan! "Uh, guess I learn fast, huh?"  
  
"Ok," she conceded. "I'll take that as truth… for now." Gohan exhaled the breath he'd been holding. At least that got her off his case for a while.  
  
"Shall we start?" he asked. She held up her hand, as if to ask a question. "Yes?"  
  
"I've got a few questions before we begin, if you don't mind."  
  
"Uh, no, go ahead."  
  
"Can you fall?" she grinned.  
  
Gohan looked thoughtful for a moment. "Um, no, I don't think so. Not unless you want to. When I teach you how to actually fly, you'll understand a little more of what I mean. You control things like how high you fly and whether or not you fall."  
  
Now it was Videl's turn to smile. "I like that part."  
  
"I thought you might. Any others?"  
  
"Ok, if Saiyaman taught you how to fly, then who taught him?"  
  
"Well—uh, I don't know. I only know who he is, not his family history or anything like that."  
  
"Hmm, ok, just one more." She began to grin evilly. "Just how did you find out Saiyaman's identity? He __did only just show up…" Gohan swallowed. "Well?"  
  
"Well, you see, I, uh, can't tell you that, Videl." She just glared.  
  
"And why not?"  
  
"Videl, we're wasting time with this. Do you want to learn to fly or not?" She sighed and relented her attack.  
  
"Fine—teach me."_


	2. The First Lesson And Its Consequences

Author's note: Whoo! This is actually the quickest I've gotten a second chapter out for a story. Sorry to keep you readers out there waiting, but I write all my stories on paper first, then type them up and polish them. Anyway, here's chapter two. I'm not sure exactly how long it'll end up being. Hmm…

Chapter 2: The First Lesson…and Its Consequences

  
"Flying's actually very simple, that is, as far as it was explained to me. So, I guess I'm just going to teach you pretty much the same way that Saiyaman taught me, ok?"  
  
"Ok, how's that?"  
  
"Well… let me see…here, let's sit down. If I'm right about you, this might take a while."  
  
Videl let out an offended "Hmph!" and plopped down on the grass.  
  
"I didn't mean—well, I did, but—" Videl held up a hand to silence him.  
  
"Just get on with the lesson, fly boy."  
  
"Right. Ok, now, flying involves taking control of your body's innate energy and placing it underneath you. Once there, it acts as a kind of buoy and holds you up. You push the energy to go forward or backward or whatever direction you want, and it takes you—"  
  
"Hold up." Videl had been completely lost from the moment he said "energy." "Question, teacher?"  
  
"Huh? Yes?"  
  
"What the heck is this energy you keep talking about?"   
  
Gohan nodded solemnly. "I thought this might happen."  
  
"What?" Videl queried. "Thought what might happen?" Gohan stood up.  
  
"This. You don't know what energy is, so I have to teach you about it. Your ki, and how to manipulate it." He stood in his spot and moved his eyes around the field, searching. His gaze fell across a lone post, part of an old, crumbling fence that used to border the forest behind the school. "Follow me." He beckoned her forward, and the two walked towards the post until they were about ten feet from it. Gohan held out a hand to stop Videl from walking any further. "Get behind me and keep your eye on the post, Videl, because it won't be there for much longer."  
  
She was about to interject a confused "Huh?" when Gohan extended his arm in front of him, pointed a finger at the post, and promptly blew it to sawdust. He lowered his arm and wiped hi brow for show, then turned to face his pupil.   
  
"Well? What'd you think?"  
  
Once again, she was struck speechless, but this time it was a positive expression she eventually returned to Gohan. "Ok, I want to do that!"  
  
Gohan started to laugh. "Well, I'm afraid that takes a bit of training." Videl's face fell some. "Right now we're going to learn the basics." He walked back over to the tree and sat down again, with Videl following. He held his hands in front of him in cup-like fashion. "Now this," he said as he produced a golf ball sized ball of energy between his hands, "is my energy, or, as it's called most of the time, my _ki. You have the same energy inside you, too. My job right now is to teach you how to find that energy."  
  
"But… what if I don't have enough energy?"  
  
"Don't worry, all humans—everyone has the energy needed to fly, that's just basic ki manipulation. But hardly anyone knows how to tap into it. You'll be able to do it, no sweat." Videl nodded curtly. "Are you ready?" She nodded again. "Ok, first, you need to become completely relaxed. Close your eyes and try not to think of anything outside of my voice. Concentrate on it alone. In a minute, I'm going to stop talking, and I want you to extend your consciousness to your center. You'll be able to feel its power drawing you to it. Don't think about your physical strength—concentrate on finding your center, your ki source."   
  
Videl had closed her eyes and was already searching when she noticed his voice stop. It was hard not to tense up, as she felt vulnerable just sitting here with her eyes shut, but she managed to calm down and relax her body. She pushed her thoughts out into her body, and to her surprise, actually did feel something almost calling to her. She followed the sense into her stomach and felt—power!  
  
"I feel it! There!" she cried out loud, opening her eyes. Gohan was no longer sitting in front of her, but now standing over to her left, leaned against the tree trunk. In the distance, an orange sun hung low over the horizon and the sky above her was turning a deep purple. She glanced quickly at her watch and did a double take—7:16! She'd been out for over three hours!  
  
"Wow, that's great Videl! It took me almost four hours to find __my center, and you in three? Amazing!"  
  
Videl frowned, not understanding. "But—I was only out for a few minutes, I know it! How could I have been gone for that long?!"  
  
"It's because you were tapping into your true power for the first time, your body kind of went into a momentary time warp when it felt that new energy. I guess 'cause you've been doing martial arts most of your life, it didn't take you nearly as long to find it as it did me. But don't worry, with your ki tapped into, your body is already adjusting to the energy. Congratulations!"  
  
Videl granted him a smile which quickly turned into a frown. "That's all good and well, then, but I should've been home hours ago! My dad'd kill me if he knew I was staying out late with a boy! I gotta go!" She crouched down and began going through her pack, pulling out books, notebooks, folders, and various other school supplies. Apparently, whatever she had been looking for was not with these items, because she let out an exasperated "No!" when she had emptied the entire bag.  
  
"What? What's the matter?" Gohan asked curiously, glancing down at her supplies. "Lose something?"  
  
"My copter capsule is still inside my locker, and my locker's inside the school! How am I gonna get home?" she lamented.  
  
Gohan thought for a moment. "Well, I could take you," he suggested. She looked up from her bag to face him.  
  
"You? How? You have a car?"   
  
He laughed. "I don't use a car, Videl, I fly, remember?"   
  
Her eyes widened for a moment as a thought passed through her head. She decided she'd confront him about his mistake later. "All the way? Don't you live in the 439 Mountain Area?" He nodded. "Jeez, you must fly fast."  
  
"Well," he mused, "I've never clocked myself, but I've been told I've broken the sound barrier a couple of times."  
  
"Th—the sound barrier?!" Boy, was he going to get it for lying to her about all this. Learned yesterday her foot. "Can I do that too?!" she asked excitedly.  
  
"With practice, I think so. Remember, Videl, you only just learned that you actually had ki today. You still have to learn how to bring it out, amplify it, manipulate it, hold it, many things. One step at a time."  
  
She frowned. "Fine. Just snap it up; I'm not a very patient person."  
  
He smiled. "Are we going to leave?" He held out his arms in a cradle and she climbed into his grasp as he slowly lifted off, eliciting a small gasp from her. When they'd reached a height of some few hundred feet above the city, Gohan put on speed towards Satan Mansion.  
  
_

*****

  
"This is great, Gohan!" Videl cried as they sped through the air towards her home. The wind had blown most of her hair out of her ponytail, but she didn't care.  
  
Gohan decided to show off a bit, doing a few barrel rolls and loops—nearly dropping Videl twice and rushing out an apologetic "Oops..." Flying as fast as they were, inside a matter of minutes Satan mansion was within sight. Unbeknownst to Gohan, Videl's brow dipped a little in disappointment at being home so soon—she had been enjoying flying, even those times Gohan had dropped her. It gave her an exhilarating rush to know she was perfectly safe, not plummeting to her doom. She noticed Gohan begin to dip down toward the front door, then mentioned it'd probably not be good if her father saw her with him, and to just let her off at her balcony. As she gingerly eased onto the floor from his arms, she caught his attention by grabbing his shirt before he turned to leave. Now it was time for some answers to a few questions she'd been holding in since they'd left the school.  
  
"Thanks, Gohan, for this. I understand that you didn't have to show me anything or listen to me, or help me in any way, so just—I wanted to say thanks and all. But—"  
  
He held up a hand, waving the thanks off. "No, really, it's fine, Videl. You don't have to say anything."  
  
Oh, that boy. She was through being all nice and accepting his stories like a good little girl. "Did you not hear the 'but' I added?" she questioned firmly. "That meant I wasn't quite done with you." Gohan looked lost, so Videl continued. "Now might be a good time for you to sit. That is—unless you have some pressing matter elsewhere that needs your attention." She looked as if she had absolutely no intention of letting Gohan go either way, so he sighed and sat down in the chair she offered him, praying his mother wouldn't worry herself to death on account of his lateness.  
  
"I know you're lying to me, Gohan—you're terrible at it. Your face turns red, you hold your breath, and you have no logical explanations to back up your stories. I should sign you up for a support group so you can learn how to effectively lie. 'Hi, I'm Gohan, and I can't tell a lie to save my butt.' Or your identity." Gohan turned white and started to sweat. "Ah, now you see what I'm getting at," she smirked.

  
"Yes, you claim _Saiyaman taught you how to fly when he only got here yesterday. Your sorry explanation was that you, quote, 'learn fast.' So, you're saying in less than twelve hours, you mastered flying, were able to reach speeds of nearly one thousand miles-per-hour, and who knows how many other fancy stunts that Saiyaman has pulled? If, for some reason, I __was stupid enough to believe that, then I'd start to wonder just what kind of person would be so school crazy that they'd drive five hours just to come to this one. You would've been planning to do it all year, and I doubt you could manage that every day without being late. No, I deduce that you've been flying since you started here. That schtick about you being so dedicated to your studies was bull. You just fly every day." _

She now stood from the chair she'd been occupying and began to pace in front of Gohan, still talking. 

  
"The first day of school, at baseball practice, you jumped nearly thirty feet into the air, and claimed it was, what did you say, oh yes: 'New shoes.'" Gohan cringed—looking back, he agreed it was a stupid excuse. But what else could he have said?_ 'Oh, that? Don't worry, I'm an alien, I do it all the time'? "You flew then, and what a coincidence, Saiyaman suddenly shows up a couple of days later, flying." She stopped in front of him and pointed a finger accusingly. "Listen, you can keep fooling everyone else if you want, I respect that that's __your business. Your choice. As for me, I'm done: I want the truth and I want to be able to start over, with a clean slate and NO secrets." Gohan remained silent for a few minutes, his muscles tense. Videl wondered if she'd come across as too harsh, then brushed it off. If she had been, then, well, he deserved it. No one pulled the wool over a Satan's eyes. Well, not for long at least. She prodded him to speak with a "Well?"   
  
He nodded slowly and turned a guilty gaze from her to the floor. "You're right, of course, Videl. I figured it'd take a little longer for anyone to find out, but...there it is."  
  
"Then... you are?" He stood up, and nodded.   
  
"You're not gonna... tell anyone, are you? I mean, I just keep my identity a secret to protect my family's privacy, I don't have any other reason, really!"  
  
Videl laughed, easing the tension between the two. "Come on, Gohan. My name may be Satan, but I'm not so sadistic I'd push you into the limelight if I knew you really didn't want it. I only did this to you to get you to stop lying and being so secretive. But now that that's done with, we can get on with the lesson tomorrow without you bungling it up searching for excuses as to just how you know how to fly so well." She winked at him, then pushed him off the balcony. He teetered on the railing for a moment, then remembered he could fly. "Tomorrow, after school—you me and the air, ok?" _

  
"Right." He lifted away from her balcony and she turned and walked into her room, shutting the doors to the outside behind her. Gohan looked on for a moment, then thought about what someone would think if they caught sight of him. _'Gohan, you peeping tom, get home now.'  
  
He gasped. His mother! Boy, was he in for it, he powered up to get home quicker, reaching his doorstep minutes after he'd left Videl. As he reached for the doorknob, he could hear ChiChi inside, venting her frustrations to his younger brother.  
  
"Where is that boy?! It's after eight already, he should've been home HOURS ago! Oh, is he gonna get it when he comes in, I oughta ground his Saiyan butt for a year. If he isn't already dead, he will be when I get hold of him! I'll—"  
  
Gohan chose this propitious moment to enter. "Hi Mom!" he called cheerfully. "Sorry I'm so late, I was studying for a huge test with a friend, and lost track of time!" What was Videl talking about? Of course he could lie!  
  
ChiChi, however, would not take such a simple explanation. "STUDYING? For FOUR hours?! With who?!" Gohan gulped and stopped in midstride. He'd been so close to escaping punishment scot-free! Maybe Videl was right...  
  
"Uh, just, a friend, from school."   
  
ChiChi glared at him. "Yes, you've already said that young man. WHICH friend? And look at me when I'm talking to you!" Gohan turned.  
  
"Um, she's a, I mean, he's—"  
  
"SHE?!" ChiChi almost blew a gasket. "How can you expect to get a good education when you're hanging around women at all hours of the night—"  
  
"Mom, it's only eight, and I was studying—"  
  
"Gohan, you're a terrible liar."  
  
"Well, it really was important that I stay after today, you have to believe me!" he pleaded. ChiChi stared at him for a moment, her arms crossed, trying to divine whether or not he was telling the truth.  
  
"Ok, I'll forgive you. But just this once! If I find out you're wasting the opportunity you have to go to one of the finest schools, I'll—I'll—make you eat school lunches for the rest of the year!" Gohan gasped in horror. "No more late nights at girls' houses?"  
  
Gohan nodded vehemently. "Yes ma'am!"   
  
Young Goten had watched this entire scene unfold in silence from his seat at the table and, seeing the two sides relent, snuck over to his brother. "Can I see Gohan now?" he asked his mother. She nodded, and he jumped into his older brother's arms, welcoming him home.  
  
"Hey there, squirt! Have a good day?" Goten nodded wildly. "You haven't been giving Mom here any grief, have you?"  
  
Goten looked at his brother innocently. "Me?" Gohan smiled and ruffled his hair, then set him down on the ground.  
  
Gohan quickly at his dinner and hurried on to bed. Teaching was tiring! And that inquisition Videl had subjected him to had been murder—but she knew at least one secret now. How long, he wondered, until she discovered the rest? Would it be so bad if she did know? He passed it off as nothing that his thoughts as he drifted off to sleep wandered to Videl Satan._


	3. An Explanation

Author's Note: ACK! Look! An update! Haven't seen one of those in forever. Blame it on the finals. Anyway, HOPEFULLY I'll have updates up sooner than this one, but *hinthint* only reviews will tell… Enjoy!  
  


_Chapter Three: An Explanation_

_  
  
"Videl, I'm sorry, but, I can't give you anymore flying lessons." A pause. "Why? Well, uh…umm…" he scratched his head and turned from his mirror, picking up a shirt and pulling it over his head. This wasn't working. Why couldn't he just tell her his mom said no? If he couldn't tell the truth to his mirror, he certainly couldn't do it to Videl herself.  
  
He didn't want to let her down! She'd been so happy when they'd flown to her house, almost a child-like euphoria. He didn't want to take that away from her, but then… how to keep teaching her and still obey his mother? He grabbed his backpack from his bed and decided to think about his dilemma on the way to school.  
  
A knock sounded on his door just as he was pulling on his bag. "Gohan?" came his mother's voice. "Are you about to leave?"  
  
Gohan opened the door to see his mother and Goten. "Yeah, Mom. You just caught me. Need something?" ChiChi pushed his younger brother in front of her.  
  
"I've got to go into town this afternoon and I don't want to take Goten along; I know he wouldn't have any fun wandering around town with me, so I arranged for him to spend the day with Bulma. Do you think you could drop him off at Capsule Corp. for me on your way to school and pick him up on the way back?"  
  
Gohan nodded. "'Course, Mom." He bent down and lifted his brother onto his shoulders as his mother exited the room. The two skipped down the stairs and out the door, with the sunlight streaming onto the boys' faces. "Now, how shall we get there? Nimbus…or piggyback?"  
  
Goten's eyes lit up with the glee only a young child could possess. "PIGGYBACK!" Gohan smiled; Goten sure was the spitting image of his father, from his hair to his effervescent personality.  
  
The young boy slid down from his brother's shoulders until he was safely situated on his back, clutching Gohan's neck. "Ready?" Gohan's back shook, confirming that yes, Goten was ready. "Hang on tight!" Gohan lifted into the air with more speed than he had revealed to Videl the previous evening and sped towards Capsule Corp., on the western edge of Orange Star in the West City section.  
  
Goten yelled with glee as the wind blew his hair back behind him. "Faster, Gohan! FASTER!"  
  
Gohan smiled and pushed ahead. At the rate Goten was pacing them, the CC building shortly loomed before them and Gohan slowed down as he began the descent. Once his feet touched the ground, though, Goten jumped off and zipped up to the door, banging to be let in.  
  
After a few knocks, a small boy Goten's size sleepily opened the door, then lit up in recognition. "Mom! Goten's here!" the boy known as Trunks called. "C'mon, you two. Mom'll be out in a minute." He led his friend and Gohan into the living area of the building.  
  
"Oh, hi Gohan!" came a voice entering the room. "I see you dropped Goten off."  
  
"Hey, Bulma! Yep, Mom asked me to so she wouldn't have to make an extra trip. Is that ok?"  
  
"Sure, kid. No prob." She ushered the two small boys into the back room. "Vegeta said if you two were gonna be around here all day, you may as well get some training in." Trunks and Goten disappeared into the bowels of the building in search of the Gravity Room. She turned back to Gohan. "Can I get you anything? Coffee? Milk?"  
  
"Oh, no thanks, Bulma, I gotta head to school anyways. I'll be back to pick up Goten afterwards, ok?" She nodded and they said goodbye. As he exited the building and lifted into the air, he heard faint yelling below him. He turned and noticed two small figures hanging out of a window, waving wildly at him.  
  
"Bye Gohan!!" shouted Trunks and Goten. "See you when you get back!" Gohan waved at the two and zipped off into the sky, bound for Orange Star High.  
  
"Man," Trunks lamented dejectedly, leaning back from the window. "I wish your brother'd stick around sometime and play." Goten nodded sadly, agreeing.  
  
_

*****

  
Late, late, late, Videl was going to be late! She threw her books that lay strewn about her desk into her already overstuffed backpack. The seams bulged with the weight but held firm. She slung the pack over her shoulder and rushed up the stairs to the heli-pad on the roof, where her jet-copter awaited a pilot.  
  
Videl jumped into the cockpit and threw her pack into the passenger seat, firing the engines and shooting into the sky. She lifted above the clouds, hoping to make better time by avoiding the commercial air traffic which was now flying below her.  
  
Once safely on her way, Videl allowed herself a chance to relax and take a breath. She did this too soon, though, she realized, as through her rearview mirror, who should she see moving up from behind her but Gohan!  
  
Videl's eyes lit up as she slowed down to pull up beside him.  
  
Gohan had noticed Videl's copter a ways back, and was wondering whether or not he should pull up beside her, when his question was answered as she slowed down to his pace, recognizing him.  
  
"Gohan!" she yelled over the roar of the engine as she tried to steady the copter to stay beside him. "Hop in!" Gohan nodded and adjusted his flight speed to match hers, easing into the seat beside her.  
  
"Thanks," Gohan said, then neither spoke a word for a few minutes: Videl was concentrating on flying, and Gohan… well Gohan was still thinking of a way to break the news to her.  
  
"So, uh, Videl, sleep well?" As soon as the words left his lips, Gohan wanted to be able to hit someone. Preferably himself. _'Sleep well?' he thought. __'What kind of an idiot would use that line to start a conversation?!'  
  
Videl snickered. "Uh, yeah, I guess so. You?"  
  
"Huh? Oh, yeah, me too." Another few minutes of awkward silence passed; it was Videl who broke it this time.  
  
"So, we still on for this afternoon?" she questioned cheerfully. "I made arrangements so my dad won't freak if I stay late today. I'm supposedly studying with Eresa for midterms." Gohan slid down in the seat, a very guilty look on his face. Videl immediately noticed this action. "Gohan? What is it? What's the matter?" Gohan sat up and began rubbing the back of his head, trying to figure out what to say. As if expecting the inevitable, Videl added, "And I want the truth, got it?"  
  
Gohan looked up at her and turned a pink tint, an innocent expression on his face. "Heh, of course Videl! Would I tell you anything other than the truth?" Videl frowned.  
  
"Don't tempt me to answer that rhetorical question, and just tell me what's going on."  
  
"Well," he began tentatively, "you see, my mom's always been big on my staying ahead in school, and she—well, she doesn't really like the idea of my staying after school with a girl. She thinks it'll bring down my grades, or distract me, or something like that."  
  
"Oh… so that's it…" she muttered.  
  
"It's not your fault, believe me, Videl. I tried to explain to her what was going on, about, you know, your situation, but she wouldn't let me get a word in, and once she's made up her mind, she's impossible to turn."  
  
"No… no, it's fine." She waved it off and put on a smile. "Really, I understand."  
  
Gohan, ever the naïve one, smiled also, relieved that Videl wasn't angry with him. But something was nagging him from the back of his mind—he knew deep down he'd disappointed her. She'd really wanted those lessons. Oh—why did his mom have to do this to him?  
  
Videl eased the copter down through the clouds and settled onto the school roof, spraying gravel around the landing area. She hopped from the pilot seat onto the roof, and after walking a few feet from the machine, she placed it into its capsule, pocketing it, then descended into the school building, with Gohan following.  
  
Through the whole day, Videl hardly spoke two words to him. It wasn't an angry silence, he could tell she wasn't mad at him; it was more of a sad silence, like she had nothing to say to him, or nothing she __would say to him. Their morning classes passed, and Gohan again found himself marching across the field to his tree, with no sign of Videl.  
  
"She must've gone back to Eresa's and Sharpner's table," he said to himself, and set down his materials by the great trunk, then sat down himself. As he was unwrapping his first sandwich, though, something hit him on the head and bounced onto the ground by his feet. He picked up the small object and examined it; it was a nut, much like the one's that grew at the top of the tree—  
  
Gohan quickly whipped his head upward. "Videl!" He dropped his sandwich and made his way up into the branches, coming to a stop on the branch beside hers. She was staring up through the branches into the sky above them.  
  
"Thinking again?" he questioned sadly. She smiled weakly and shook her head, not averting her gaze from the clouds billowing above.  
  
"Nah… I've done my thinking already. Had plenty of time. And I'll have some more."  
  
Gohan wanted to say something, anything, not just sit there in silence. He'd done far too much of that already. Far too much… "Videl, you know that I really do want to keep teaching you—"  
  
"It's not that, Gohan. Not anymore."  
  
"Well, be that as it may," he said determinedly, "I swear I'm gonna talk to my mom, I'll fix it, you'll see, and we can keep going!" He pasted on his normal happy-go-lucky grin, and she looked over at him, and smiled a bit more sincerely and not as sadly. "It'll work out."_

*****

  
  
That left Gohan with the rest of the school day to figure out just _how it was going to work out. He made a decision while flying home, and it was only the knowledge that a positive outcome would make Videl happy that made him go through with the plan: he was going to actually CONFRONT his mother. Talk to her, and try to change her. As he tried to recall all the people who had been successful at carrying out this task, he drew a blank.  
  
Quite possibly the strongest human woman in the world, his mother was not one to be messed with. She had always been the omnipotent matriarch in the Son household, even when Goku had been alive.  
  
__'Dad…' Gohan thought. He knew his dad would have let him teach Videl. He had always understood how Gohan felt, as if the two had a mental link. Gohan smiled, remembering his father. __'Maybe it's a Saiyan thing.'  
  
So distracted was he with his dilemma, that he had sighted his home and had almost touched down on the front lawn when a faint thought skittered across his mind, like he had forgotten something…  
  
GOTEN!  
  
Gohan almost lost it with fear, nearly falling to the ground, but managed to catch himself; that would've been real good, start talking to ChiChi only to have her intervene and ask where Goten was. Real smooth.  
  
He blasted off toward Capsule Corp. and landed within minutes on the front door step of the huge dome. The door was opened after a knock by Bulma herself.  
  
"Hey Gohan, I almost thought you'd forgotten little Goten." He grinned sheepishly.  
  
"Me? Heh, no, just had to talk to one of my teachers about a project I'm working on…"  
  
"Oh, ok then, he and Trunks should be coming out of the Gravity Room soon." She led Gohan inside into the living section. "The minute Vegeta saw you weren't here at four o'clock sharp, he jerked those two back in. I tried to tell him you were on your way, but then, you Saiyans…" she trailed off, then mentioned that she was going to get some snacks for the boys when they emerged and disappeared into the kitchen area.  
  
Gohan sighed and took a seat on the couch in the center of the living room, relaxing for a moment and trying to form his argument for his mother. He was right in the middle of mentally explaining the pros of his teaching Videl how to fly, when his concentration was broken as a loud gasping sound from behind him reached his ears; he whipped his head around and saw the Goten and Trunks, panting, with a surly looking Vegeta looming over them. Well, not really looming, since he wasn't all that much taller than the two.  
  
"Pah, weaklings, I barely worked up a sweat in there, and you two look as if I nearly killed you."  
  
"Y-Y-Y—" Goten tried to choke out between breaths.  
  
"Y-You almost did, D-Dad," Trunks managed to fill in. Just then Bulma walked into the room, nearly dropping the tray of refreshments she had gathered.  
  
"OH MY POOR BABY!" she gasped, gathering up Trunks in her arms. "VEGETA!" The Saiyan prince feared absolutely nothing in all the universe, but if he was forced to admit that he trembled just a bit for anything, it would be his mate's yell.  
  
"What, woman?" he asked defensively.  
  
"DO YOU SEE OUR SON?! What have you DONE to him?" She directed her cares to the boy, still cradled in her arms and putting up quite a fight.  
  
"M-Mom! Put me down! Lemme go! Goten's gonna see…"  
  
"But you're—"  
  
"The boy is fine, and so is the brat," Vegeta interjected. "I'd be too embarrassed to let it be known that my son couldn't handle my training routine. I'm sure Kakkarot would feel the same way," he finished, shooting a smirk Gohan's way.  
  
Bulma let her son slide down from her grasp. "Are you sure you're fine, Trunks?" After both of the young demi-saiyans vehemently announced that they had survived the training with minimal injury, she released them from her care. They were about to wreak havoc in other areas of the building when they were sharply reminded by Vegeta that the only reason they had stopped their training was because Goten had to leave.  
  
"Aww!" came the simultaneous pleas of the boys.  
  
"Silence!" was the Saiyan's answer, stifling the whimpers of the boys. "Now I want all half-breeds out of my home this instant!" Trunks grinned evilly.  
  
"Ok, Dad!" he exclaimed, and began merrily marching towards the door with Goten skipping along behind him. He was stopped however, as Vegeta grabbed him roughly by the collar of his shirt, yanking him backward.  
  
"Not you, boy. You get to stay and train. Now get back to the Room!" Trunks's face fell, and he bid his friends goodbye as he slunk back to the Gravity Room, his father pushing him from behind.  
  
Bulma said a more formal goodbye and the two were finally off, racing through the air to get back home. Goten had to hold on extra tight and made a mental note to opt for Nimbus the next time he had to be flown somewhere.  
  
The sun had just touched the horizon, and dusk was creeping over the landscape when they got home. ChiChi already had her suspicions.  
  
"Another girl, I'll bet," she accused. Since he didn't have to lie—well, maybe he could lie a little—Gohan had no trouble explaining the situation to his mother.  
  
"No, honestly, it wasn't a girl! Vegeta just kept them longer than usual training—"  
  
"YOU LET THAT MAN FIGHT MY GOTEN?!" She nearly collapsed.  
  
"It's ok, Mom!" Goten saved. "Me and Trunks had fun! Can I go again tomorrow?" ChiChi breathed a sigh of relief, but continued to eye Gohan suspiciously.  
  
"We'll see," she allowed. Food was hurried onto the table, and Goten was sent to bed after a long bath, during which ChiChi tried to wash off what she had come to call the "Saiyan smell" since both Gohan and Goten seemed to forever reek of it after a long day's training. When cynically asked if __she had ever sweated when she trained, she answered, "Women don't sweat, we 'perspire.'"  
  
With Goten safely off to dreamland, Gohan decided now was a good time to confront his mother. Maybe she'd be less likely to yell at him with the possibility of waking his brother looming over them. He approached her quietly as she sat on the couch in the den, knitting contentedly.  
  
"Mom?" he called tentatively.  
  
  
  
Sage=Evil_

  
Yes, MWAHAHAHA! The long awaited "talk" with ChiChi won't be happening until next chapter, but it WILL happen, I promise. Next chapter. And I have some good news! I've actually got a real plot formed for this story! So, as long as I don't develop amnesia, we're all set. Now, all I need is the time to write…


	4. Can We Talk?

Author's Note: Ok, this chapter is much longer than usual (almost twice as long, in fact), mainly because I wanted to go ahead and get the plot kinda started. But even with it being this length, I only begin to HINT at the plot at the very end, so watch for the next chapter up soon (I'm on a roll!), and you'll get quite a few questions answered.  
  
__

_Chapter 4: Can We Talk?_

   
"Mom?" he called tentatively.  
  
She looked up from her work. "Yes, honey?" Gohan walked over and took a seat across from his mother.  
  
"I...I need to talk to you about something." Immediately, horrible visions flooded Chichi's mind. Talk? Was he having trouble at school? Grades? Teachers? Girls? Her mind was drawn to the last choice. "Oh, it's nothing about me, though," he assured her, seeing a panicked look cross her face.  
  
She took a breath and calmed down, setting aside her knitting. "Alright, what about, then?"  
  
"I—I want your permission to teach a girl at my school how to fly."  
  
Chichi did a double-take. "You—what—?"  
  
"It's why I was late coming home from school last night," he explained. "Our lesson ran long and I didn't realize the time."  
  
Crossing her arms, Chichi said, "So you want permission to fritter away study-hours with some 'girl' from school? Is that it?"  
  
"No! It's not that, it's—it's—hard for me to explain."  
  
"Then make an effort to, Gohan, or I'm afraid our talk is done."  
  
He sighed. "I want to help her...she's confided some secrets in me, and I think this training will really help her."  
  
Chichi furrowed her brow. "How so?" Great, his mother sure wasn't making this easy on him. His nerves were starting to act up, so Gohan stood and paced the room in front of her, explaining as best he could.  
  
"Her name is Videl and... I fight crime with her. Well, you know, not me really. Saiyaman fights. The other day she was in a...situation...where she and many others could have been hurt or worse. It scared her, she told me all about it. So I thought if I could put her in control of these situations, then...it'd help her." He fell silent, sending out a silent prayer that his speech hadn't fallen on deaf ears. Stopping his pacing, he turned to gauge her reaction. Much to his surprise, she wasn't fuming, but sat staring at her needlework, deep in thought.  
  
Chichi looked up at her son. Nearly full grown, he was everything she'd hoped he'd grow up to be: smart, handsome, studious, powerful, brave, caring, suave...well, maybe not so suave. All this...her baby boy wasn't a baby. Not anymore. He carried the weight of battles fought and won on his sturdy shoulders—a weight no teenager should have to bear. While others were worrying about what they would do over the summer to keep busy, he had been worrying about how he would defeat some new threat to the Earth. He'd missed out on anything resembling a normal childhood. And here he was, asking permission to be with others his own age...  
  
"You care for her, this Videl, then?" she asked.  
  
"Well, yeah, of course I—" Then he remembered how much his mother wanted grandchildren. "It's not like THAT!!"  
  
"Really now?" she questioned slyly. "We may just have to fix that..."  
  
"MOM!"  
  
Chichi laughed, breaking the tension which had settled over her and her son. "I think I see what this means to you."  
  
Gohan's mouth fell open. "Y—you do?" She nodded.  
  
"But: I want to see what you're pushing yourself into. Before any of this training starts, I want to meet this young lady. And only after that will I allow you to teach her, understand?" He nodded vehemently. "Good. And if your grades drop, so does the training." Gohan lunged forward and lifted Chichi into the air in a huge hug.  
  
"Thanks so much, Mom! I promise, school won't be affected at all! I'll study extra hard in my time off! Promise!"  
  
"F-fine!" Chichi gasped, wiggling out of her son's grip, and pulling air into her nearly crushed lungs. "That'll be fine as long as it stays that way. Now," she stood and shooed her eldest away from her in the direction of the stairs, "Get to bed." Once he was up the stairs, she sat back into her chair and resumed her knitting.  
  
"Hmm...Mrs. Videl Son...nice ring to it, I think," she mused.  
  


*****

  
He'd done it! Done the impossible, conquered the unconquerable, convinced his mother to change her mind!  
  
He twisted and flipped in midair, doing barrel rolls and loop-de-loops, frightening a flock of migrating geese and giving a private plane pilot the thrill of seeing a flying man.  
  
Then he saw it. "Wow, she must live right on my flight path; this is the second day in a row I've run into her." Seizing the opportunity to spill, and barely able to contain his excitement anyway, Gohan effortlessly pushed forward until he and the copter were neck to neck. He reached over and tapped on the window to get Videl's attention.  
  
"AAAH!!" The jet copter bucked wildly from side to side, plummeting down, then shooting up again until Videl finally regained her senses and control and punched a button on a panel in front of her, opening the passenger side door. "DON'T SNEAK UP ON ME LIKE THAT!" she gasped, shaking. "Scared the living...can't believe...honestly…"  
  
"Geez, I'm sorry Videl, I didn't mean—"  
  
"Well normal people don't expect people to knock on their windows five thousand feet up!" she huffed.  
  
"But I thought you knew I could—"  
  
"That didn't mean I was expecting it!"  
  
Gohan frowned and looked at the floor of the copter, then brightened as he remembered why he'd caught up with Videl in the first place. "Well," he stated knowingly, "if you're going to be mad, then I guess I can't tell you."  
  
Not about to be baited, she nonchalantly replied, "Tell me what?"  
  
Gohan, of course, couldn't be so blasé about his news, and blurted out, "I DID IT!"  
  
Videl slowly turned her gaze to focus on Gohan. "Congrats, Gohan, but...did what, exactly?"  
  
He grinned. "I convinced my mom to let me teach you!"  
  
Her face lit up like a light bulb. "S—Seriously?!" she exclaimed, disbelief clinging to the word. He nodded, satisfied. "Th—that's great! That's—it's just—wow!" She sighed happily and looked at the sky in front of her. "So cool..."

*****

  
It wasn't until lunch that Gohan remembered Chichi's stipulation that she meet Videl before any training could start, but this fact didn't seem to deter Videl in the least.  
  
"Your mom? Should be nice!" She seemed, rather, to be floating on air, figuratively for now.  
  
"I've known Videl for a long time, and I've never seen her like this," Eresa commented during their English lesson. "She's like a totally different person, so agreeable and happy." She teased Gohan, "So what's going on between you two that's got her this way, huh? I've seen you during lunch. Yesterday it seemed nothing would cheer her up and today...well, look at her! So, what is it?"  
  
The demi-Saiyan's face turned beet red. "N—Nothing!" he blurted out, garnering a glare from the teacher. "Nothing!" he repeated in a whisper. "You know that!"  
  
Eresa merely giggled and turned back to her sentence diagramming.  
  
After the final bell rang, Videl suggested that she just follow Gohan to his house in her copter, to which he agreed. "I told my dad I'd be studying at Eresa's again tonight, since I didn't last night, so I'm free for the night." With that, the two set off from the school roof when most everyone else had left for the day.  
  
"Lead the way," she said, and fired the engine to her copter. Moments later, the two were zooming through the air towards the distant mountains.

*****

"M-Mom!" Goten whined through wipes of the wet cloth over his face. "I'm clean!" He grinned and added, "Don't you know us Saiyans are allergic to water?"  
  
Chichi stood up and glared down at her younger son. "Funny, I don't remember your father mentioning that one. Now you stay clean, Goten. Don't you want to look nice when Videl gets here?"  
  
The evil gleam faded from Goten's eye as he thought about this "Videl" person. "Who's that? Is that Gohan's girlfriend? Is she pretty? Is she gonna be my new sister? Is—" Chichi sighed and tuned out the hyper youngster, finishing tidying up for dinner.  
  
As she walked through the living room into the kitchen, a far off whining sound reached her ears, growing steadily louder: an engine. "That must be them now; Goten, why don't you run outside and greet them while I finish—" But he was already out the door in a blur of orange and blue before she'd finished the sentence.  
  
The copter landed gently in the front field of the Sons' home, and Videl slid out of the pilot's seat as Gohan alighted beside her. "Can't wait 'til I can do that," she commented, and he led her to the front door.  
  
"This," he held a hand out to the house, "is home."  
  
"GOHAN!!" The same orange and blue blur that had so recently left Chichi's side now tackled Gohan, sending him reeling to the ground with a heavy thud. After a moment, he managed to right himself and stood back up, with the blur now firmly latched to his neck.  
  
Pointing, Gohan revealed, "Videl, my brother Goten. Goten, meet Videl." The blur moved from Gohan's neck to stand in front of Videl, gaping.  
  
"Wow, Gohan, you're right...she's pretty."  
  
Gohan's face could have boiled water with the heat it gave off. With an embarrassed laugh, he clamped a hand over the boy's mouth. "The things kids say these days!"  
  
Wiggling out from his brother's grasp, Goten suggested, "Let's go inside! Mom's almost done with supper!" Videl barely managed to suppress a laughing fit, covering her face with a hand and following the lead of the younger Son into the house.  
  
Wonderful smells hit her the moment she entered the domicile: rice cooking, bread warming, vegetables simmering, meat browning. A veritable feast.  
  
"Mom?" Gohan called through the house, his face now a bit less red.  
  
"In the kitchen, honey—is Videl here? Just make yourselves comfortable in the living room."  
  
A minute and a few new smells later, Chichi slipped out of the kitchen to greet Gohan's guest. He stood, gesturing toward Videl, "Mom, I'd like to introduce Videl Satan. Videl's the girl from school I'd like to train."  
  
A small gasp escaped Chichi as she looked from Gohan to Videl, and back. "Satan?" She looked pointedly at her son. "As in Hercule's daughter?" Videl nodded, impressed her father's fame reached out so far. "Gohan...does she—"  
  
"NO! No—uh, _no MOM," he stated through clenched teeth, winking. "She DOESN'T. Got it?" Chichi sighed and nodded.  
  
Videl glanced from Chichi to Gohan, confused. "I don't...what?"  
  
He turned to her quickly, giving an embarrassed explanation. "She—She just wondered if you lived out here; you know how some celebrities are: they don't like living in the big cities, with all that attention."  
  
Videl gave a small "hmph." "My dad's so bloated on fame, he'd die if he weren't surrounded by fans all the time. Sometimes I wish he hadn't beaten Cell, just so he wouldn't be this way."  
  
Goten looked on, with child-like confusion. "But, Gohan, I always thought—"  
  
For the second time that evening, Gohan had to slip a hand over the younger boy's mouth, silencing him before any damage was done. "You're right, Goten! We do usually eat as soon as I get home. Right, Mom?" Chichi caught the meaning and led Videl into the dining area.  
  
Goten was about to follow, when his brother's hand on his shoulder held him back. Gohan squatted down to eye-level.  
  
"Hey, Goten," he said in a softer voice, so the two women couldn't hear.  
  
"What's wrong, Gohan?"  
  
"Squirt, while Videl's here, we're gonna play a game, 'k?"  
  
The younger demi-saiyan's face erupted into a wide grin. "A game? What kinda game, huh? What kind?"  
  
"Well, we're gonna pretend that Videl's daddy beat Cell, ok?"  
  
Goten's grin lost some of its brightness, "But Trunks said—"  
  
Gohan waved it off. "I know, I know, but while Videl's here, we're gonna pretend, ok? It'll be fun!"  
  
Goten's face turned serious for a moment, as tiny gears began to turn in his head, then he smirked and looked up at his brother. "Ok! But only if you promise to play with me and Trunks tomorrow!"  
  
Gohan laughed, "You've definitely been around Vegeta too much! You've resorted to blackmailing people! It's a deal, though!" And the two brothers shook on it and joined Chichi and Videl in the dining room.  
  
Thankfully for Gohan, Goten remembered the promise, and the meal passed relatively uneventfully. Well, apart from the look of shock plastered on Videl's face at the boys' eating capacities.  
  
"What can I say?" Chichi sighed. "They're growing boys."  
  
Videl thanked the Sons for the wonderful meal and said goodbye. "Hope we can start training again tomorrow!" she called as the copter lifted off, then was gone.  
  
Chichi looked at her older son out of the corner of her eye as the Videl disappeared. "I think she'll make a good wife."  
  
Gohan nodded, still looking at the tiny dot that Videl's copter had become. "A good—WHAT?!"  
  
She turned around and walked back into the house to begin clearing the table, with Gohan following . "You heard me, Son Gohan." He quickly tried to change the subject.  
  
"So, can I do it?"  
  
Chichi lifted a stack of dishes into her arms and carried them over to the sink, calling back to him over her shoulder, "It's fine with me—how else are you two going to get together?"_

*****

  
"So, where?" she asked him excitedly, balancing on the branch across from him.  
  
"Where what?" Gohan questioned back naively, unwrapping a sandwich.  
  
Videl let out an exasperated sigh. "Where are we gonna train? Or have you forgotten? I overheard that the softball team was going to use the baseball field today, so we can't do it there."  
  
He had forgotten. "Oh, yeah, I remembered. Um, I guess we can go back out to my house then, unless you've got somewhere at your place where we wouldn't be disturbed."  
  
She shook her head. "Dad's hosting a party tonight, it's gonna be packed."  
  
"Well, there are acres of empty land around my house, so we'll be fine."  
  
"Ok, then, see you in a few hours!" With that, she slipped off the branch to the ground and walked back over to Sharpener's and Eresa's table, smiling all the while.

*****

  
BAM!  
  
The gunman was now curled up on the ground in a fetal position, moaning in pain thanks to a well-landed kidney-punch from Videl. Another lay beside him after being thrown back by some "mysterious" force when he'd tried to attack Saiyaman from behind.  
  
"Gohan," Videl grunted between hits as she took care of a few of the remaining criminals. "There's got to be a better way for you to do this."  
  
"I know," he countered, lightly blasting another few who'd tried a sneak attack.  
  
"You can't keep using the same excuse to get out of class." She took out the final thug with a roundhouse. "You know," she suggested, dusting off her hands, "you could just let me take care of the crime around here myself like I've done for years, Mr. Saiyaman."  
  
Gohan's mouth turned up in a classic Saiyan smirk. "Can't," he said, "having too much fun." He then added in a lower voice, "See you after school."  
  
Seconds later, panting, a harrowed Gohan burst through the gym doors, only to become the center of attention. Swallowing hard, he walked slowly through the crowd of his classmates toward the teacher.  
  
"Again? I warn you, one more tardy, just one more interruption of my class, and it's straight to the principal's office; am I understood?"  
  
"Y-yes, sir," Gohan answered hesitantly.  
  
The coach frowned. "No use dressing out, class is nearly over anyway. Just sit over on the bleachers."  
  
Gohan trudged over to the bench and sat down. Great, yelled at again, for saving the city! What else could go wrong?  
  
Didn't he know you're never supposed to ask that question?  
  
"Hey, Gohan!" came a voice from the court. "Think fast!" The demi-Saiyan looked up, but not quickly enough to dodge. While he had been moping, Sharpener and his cronies had chosen him as their target of daily ridicule, courtesy of a dodge ball straight to the face.  
  
It didn't hurt at all, really, and Gohan didn't show any signs of being injured, but it was enough that the hit landed square on his face to cause the group of boys below to erupt in laughter. This infuriated him so much that, before he knew it, he had snatched up the ball and lifted it over his head, ready to retaliate and exact the revenge his mind was asking for.  
  
NO! He couldn't do that! He struggled in his mind for a moment—only half of his brain wanted revenge for their wounding his pride. The other, more level-headed, human half knew he could kill them if he followed his instincts.  
  
Per usual, logic prevailed over his primal Saiyan side, and the laughter eventually died down. Gohan heaved a mental sigh: crisis averted.  
  
A shrill whistle sounded, and the coach informed the boys that they could dress back in, then he walked over and stood in front of Gohan.  
  
"Son," he began, "I know you're a good kid. From what I've heard, you're at the top of all your classes, and your feats in this one are certainly nothing to laugh at. But, that being the case, I can't just blow off these tardies you keep getting."  
  
Gohan nodded and looked up at the man. "I know, sir, and I understand."  
  
"Then, why do you keep doing this? I wasn't kidding earlier when I said I'd have to send you to the principal's office next time. Is there...something wrong? Some...trouble?"  
  
Gohan answered with a vehement, "No! No, nothing like that!" Now it was his coach's turn to sigh, relieved. "I've just got...a lot of things going on at once, and I'm finding it hard to juggle them all."  
  
"Oh...ok then. As long as it's nothing, you know...serious." Gohan shook his head and smiled. "Ok, just, make an effort NOT to be late again."  
  
"Yes, sir."

*****

  
Videl leaned over the rooftop railing, glancing around the empty school parking lot.  
  
"Ok, all clear," she informed Gohan, and walked over to the waiting copter. "Shall we?"  
  
He nodded curtly. "Yeah, but first we need to stop by Capsule Corp; Goten spent the day playing with Trunks again, and I've been elected to pick him up on the way home."  
  
"Capsule Corp?"  
  
"Uh huh."  
  
"As in 'Briefs?'"  
  
"Uh huh."  
  
"As in 'Bulma Briefs?'"  
  
"Uh huh."  
  
"...."  
  
"Why?"  
  
Videl slapped a hand to her forehead, shocked. "You KNOW her? You know Bulma Briefs, the greatest inventor of all time?"  
  
"Well...yeah. She's been a friend of my family's for the longest time, since before I was even born."  
  
"How did—never mind, let's just go." The two shot into the air, with Gohan leading the way. Shortly, the domed building loomed ahead, and the skids of Videl's copter had barely touched the grass, when, not one, but TWO blurs rushed out the door and grabbed both of Gohan's hands.  
  
"Time to play!" the two blurs announced, with almost maniacal glee. Gohan tried to resist being yanked inside, but two half-Saiyans make a whole Saiyan, and—usually—a whole Saiyan is more powerful than any demi-Saiyan.  
  
"Play?" Videl wondered, smiling in spite of herself at the panicked look which had replaced Gohan's normal happy-go-lucky mien.  
  
"GOTEN! TRUNKS! Just WHAT do you think you're doing?!" questioned an angry female voice as the two boys wrestled an unwilling Gohan into the building, followed by a very confused Videl.  
  
"Videl," Gohan grunted from the ground, "Meet Bulma Briefs. Bulma...Videl."  
  
She smiled at Videl, then turned her attention back to Goten and Trunks. "Get off him, you two!" she yelled again, and immediately both released their prey. Gohan scrambled to his feet and dusted himself off.  
  
"Aww, Mom! We were just playing!"  
  
"Yeah!" Goten confirmed. "Gohan said he'd come by and play today, so we were ready!"  
  
Gohan's face washed over with recollection, and Bulma and the boys looked over at him. "Really?" she asked.  
  
"Remember, Gohan?" Goten tried to jog his memory. "Remember, last night, you said if I pretended that Vi—" This time _three hands were clapped over the younger Son's mouth.  
  
"A game we played after supper," he quickly explained, then turned to the boys. "I'm sorry, guys, I completely forgot I'd said that! I promised Videl I'd start teaching her to fly today."  
  
Two small faces grew sad, and their gazes fell to the ground. "But—I promise: you're my __first priority tomorrow, ok?" They brightened a little, but he knew they were still sad he'd neglected them.  
  
Bulma urged them to take the opportunity to leave then, before Vegeta returned, to which Gohan agreed.  
  
"I sent him to the store," she explained, "which may or may not still be there by the time he gets back." They said their goodbyes, and Gohan, Goten, and Videl walked out to the front.  
  
"Hey, Gohan?" Videl asked as she climbed into the cockpit. "Who's the 'Vegetable' guy Mrs. Briefs was talking about?"  
  
Gohan had to surpress a smile, "Oh, he's her—" but he was cut off by the beeping of Videl's watch.  
  
"Yes, chief?" she answered. The police chief's voice came in, frantic, over the radio in her watch.  
  
"Videl!" he called over the speaker. "We need you downtown right away! Four men dressed in black suits have just broken into the First National Bank and are attempting to make off with all the money. We need you now!"  
  
"Right, on my way!" she turned to Gohan. "Looks like our lesson's been delayed. Coming?"  
  
He nodded and reached for a button on the side of his own watch.  
  
"So that's how," she mused. "I always wondered."  
  
Videl had fired the engines and Saiyaman was ready to go, when Bulma, panting hard, ran out holding a phone.  
  
"Y-your mother j-just called. Said y-you need to come home."  
  
Gohan frowned, worried. "Huh? Why?"  
  
Bulma glanced over at Videl, and spoke in a lower voice. "Piccolo's there." He nodded and walked over to Videl.  
  
"Hey, can I get a rain check on the lesson for today? An old friend dropped by my house, and...it's kinda important."  
  
"That's fine," she answered. "I'll handle the guys at the bank."  
  
"Sure; see you tomorrow!" He recapsuled his Saiyaman outfit and headed home with Goten, while Videl returned to Orange Star.  
  
_

*****

  
"Mr. Piccolo!" Goten exclaimed, spotting the tall Namek standing under a tree next to the Son home.  
  
"Hey Goten," he greeted gruffly.  
  
"Goten," Gohan called gently, "why don't you run inside and let Mom know we're home, ok?" Goten nodded and skipped inside, calling his mother.  
  
Gohan, seeing his brother make it into the house, turned to his former mentor. Piccolo usually wouldn't come down from the lookout unless something important was happening; he wondered what it was.  
  
"Is it about...Dad?" he asked hesitantly.  
  
Both to his relief and dismay—relief his father wasn't in trouble, dismay he wasn't coming back—the Namek shook his head. "No, Gohan, this time it's about you."  
  
"Me?"  
  
"For the past week, I've been getting strange feelings from you." Gohan looked a bit worried, until he added, "Not from you, really, from somewhere around you, as if…some other force was acting on you. I can't pinpoint it, it's far too vague. It's like...someone's watching you, tracking you." He moved from under the tree into the waning sunlight.  
  
"Tracking me? But—why?"  
  
"I don't know," the Namekian confessed. "I'm not sure if the force is friendly or not, but until I can figure this out, I want you to watch your back. You may be in danger."  
  
Gohan nodded solemnly, and Piccolo took off into the sky, headed back to the lookout.  
  
"What did Piccolo want?" Chichi asked when Gohan came inside.  
  
"N—nothing," he said softly, making his way into the living room. She stuck her head out of the kitchen to look at him.  
  
"Something wrong, honey? Where's Videl? I thought you two were going to train today."  
  
He sat on the couch. "Oh, something came up in town, and she couldn't make it out." He glanced down at his watch: he still had time. He could go back into town and get her, he still had time...  
  
But...he was tired, very tired for some reason. He had, in no way, exerted himself, so why...? He rubbed his temple and closed his eyes for a moment, enjoying the quiet.  
  
Wait...quiet?  
  
"Mom, where's Goten?"  
  
"Oh, I think he went up to the room." Gohan mounted the stairs with some effort, surprised that such a simple task should be so hard, then knocked on the closed door of the room he and his brother shared.  
  
"Goten?" he called, opening the door.  
  
"Hey Gohan," his brother called from the floor, zooming a toy car around and crashing into imaginary buildings. Gohan sat down beside him and picked up another car,  
  
"Listen, bro, I'm sorry I couldn't play with you and Trunks today, but we'll train extra hard tomorrow, I promise."  
  
"It's ok, Gohan."  
  
"Well, tomorrow, you may be regretting you ever asked me to play." He winked and added, "I can be worse than Vegeta, y'know."  
  
Goten looked over at his brother and smiled, giggling. "Thanks, brother."  
  
"No prob." He ruffled Goten's already unruly hair and stood back up, swaying on the spot, a bit disoriented. Holding onto a bed post, he asked Goten to tell Chichi he was going to bed early, that he wasn't feeling well.  
  
"What about supper?"  
  
"I think I'll go without for tonight." A Saiyan refusing food? Even Goten was starting to worry...  
  
Gohan stripped down to a tank top and light pants, then slipped underneath the sheets, closing his eyes and sighing. Poor Trunks and Goten, they'd really wanted to train today. And Videl, she wouldn't be getting her lesson tomorrow either. He was getting harrowed at school for slipping out so often, and now Piccolo was dropping hints about some invisible stalker—he felt like he was being pulled in a thousand different directions, unable to please anyone. And that event during his gym class earlier that day had been one in a series of his nearly losing control of his emotions.  
  
Troubled, he very slowly drifted into a dreamless sleep.  
  


*****

  
"So, Gohan's feeling a bit stretched? Let's see what we can do about that," a hidden voice stated. "Be careful what you wish for, Son Gohan…"  
  
End Ch. 4


	5. The Counting Game

Author's note: Ok, this chapter is officially my longest one so far, but I think I finished typing it in the shortest amount of time. It was pretty fun to write, but a little difficult, as you'll see when you ready it—there's a lot of switching back and forth between different scenes. Try not to get too confused, and enjoy the ride!

Chapter 5

"Ugh..." Gohan moaned sleepily. With his eyes still closed, he absently wondered what had woke him, then a splitting pain shot through his head, triggering his memory. That's what it was: the pounding in his brain had been his wake-up call.

"I'm up," he muttered to no one, and began half-heartedly tossing away the sheets covering his body, not really trying too hard to wake up. He forced himself to sit upright and shook his head to remove the cobwebs from his mind. Wait, why was he up? Oh yeah, school.

Deciding wandering around looking like some half-dead zombie _wasn't the best way to start the day, Gohan reluctantly dragged himself into the shower, feeling almost instantaneously energized as the warm spray pelted his body._

As he got out of the shower and dried off, dressing, he recalled the previous day's events, and what was in store for him today.

Training with Trunks and Goten, that was it. Videl would have to wait, he'd _promised the boys he'd drop by and play with them, and he'd reneged that promise too often._

Besides, now he'd have plenty of time with Videl! To _train Videl, he had to remind himself. The introduction to his family couldn't have gone off more perfectly; not only did his mother seem to like her, but she was more happy now than Gohan had seen her since Goku had died._

He took one last look around the room before swiftly grabbing his pack and heading for the door. Goten was apparently already up and about, as his bed was vacant and neatly made.

Gohan's, however, was quite a different story. His top cover lay in a disheveled heap on the floor, and he made a mental note to make it later—he'd miss Videl's flight to school if he didn't hurry!

Bounding down the stairs three at a time, he shouted out a hasty, "Bye!" to Chichi and Goten, who were in the middle of breakfast, before blasting out the door towards Orange Star.

Goten opened his mouth to reply, but his brother was already gone in a rush of wind. '_Guess he's feeling better,' the young boy thought to himself. __"Yay! PLAYTIME!"_

"Gohan sure was eager to leave this morning," his mother noted approvingly. "He didn't even stop for breakfast—I wonder if he's feeling alright..." She finished off her own meal, then stood to bring her dishes into the kitchen, when the phone rang.

"Hello?" Chichi answered cheerily.

"Someone seems to be in a good mood this morning," the voice on the other end noted, pleased.

"Hi, Bulma, yes, I have the most _wo__nderful news, remind me to tell you about it later!"_

"Ooh, news? About who?" She paused a moment. "Wait, is it about Gohan's new girlfriend?"

Chichi gasped, the excitement fleeing her voice like air from a punctured balloon. "How did you know?!"

"Oh, she dropped by with him yesterday, to pick up Goten."

"Oh," Chichi said, somewhat saddened by the fact that her news wasn't really news now. "What did you need, Bulma?"

"Oh, yeah! I was just making sure that Goten was coming by today, Trunks woke me up at four this morning, asking if he was here yet. I remember Gohan mentioning something yesterday about coming by to spar with the boys, but I wasn't clear on the details.

Chichi scoured her mind. "I think... yes, I think I remember him saying something about that now. I'll bring him over in a few."

"Ok, see you then."

"Right, and thanks, Bulma. I think this is the longest vacation I've had in seven years!" The two women laughed and said goodbye, then Chichi turned to her youngest son, who had obviously been listening to the entire conversation. "Alright, you can go," she conceded.

"YAY!"

She shooed him away. "Run to the bathroom and finish getting ready while I do the laundry, then I'll take you over there," she told him, silently thanking Bulma for the capsule car she'd received from the Briefs the previous Christmas; it had been a lifesaver since Goku wasn't around anymore. "Actually," she mused to herself, "if I had known about this sooner, I'd have asked Gohan to take him in and saved myself the trip."

Placing the last of the breakfast dishes in the sink to soak, she grabbed the laundry basket from the hallway and trudged up the stairs to the boys' room.

"Those boys," she sighed as she tossed shirts and socks, pants and gis, and various other articles of clothing scattered about the room into the basket. Stripping the sheets from Goten's bed, she noted with dismay that his brother's comforter lay on the floor in a pile, and bent down to throw it, too, into the basket.

Then, she screamed.

Then, the boy who had been sleeping peacefully underneath the covers on the floor screamed.

Then, Goten came bounding up the stairs and smiled. "Oh, hey Gohan, I thought you were gone already." He turned back to Chichi. "Hey, Mom, are we gonna go now?"

She stopped screaming and caught her breath as she realized that the stranger on the floor was, in fact, her eldest.

"SON GOHAN! How DARE you scare me like that!" she fumed, her face pale. "You almost gave me a heart attack, I thought you'd already left!"

Gohan uncovered his hears now that the blast was past and Mount Chichi was cooling down, then stood up and snapped, "Geez, _sorry. It's not like I __meant to scare you. And what do you mean 'already left'? I'm obviously still here." He gestured to himself._

Chichi's face of anger changed to one of pure shock. How dare he speak to her like that—he sounded almost as rude as that thing Bulma was married to! "Now, see here young man, I'll not have you take that tone around your mother! I've a good mind to change my verdict on your training Videl! Now you hurry up and get dressed, you're already late." She finished huffing, then turned, picking up her basket, and left, slamming the door behind her.

"Women," Gohan mumbled, and searched around for a shirt and pants. 

Finishing dressing, he reached onto the nightstand to put on the finishing touch: his capsule watch.

"Huh? It's gone..." He checked the floor, by the nightstand, under the bed, everywhere, but it was nowhere to be found.

Shrugging his shoulders, he decided Saiyaman could just take the day off; he'd talk to Bulma about it later on. He bent down to grab his pack from the foot of the bed and zip out the window, only to find that the pack, too, was missing.

Now his ire was rising, and he began to race around the room, pulling out drawers and lifting up furniture, all to no avail. Nothing; no watch, and no pack.

"Ok then, fine," he said to himself, he wasn't going to get ticked off over a stupid bag or watch. "Forget school. I'll hit up Vegeta for a day of sparring. It'll be more fun than school anyway." He stepped out of the door and was about to take off, when Chichi grabbed him.

"Since you're still here, I need you to run Goten by Capsule Corp. on your way to school. Bulma mentioned earlier you were going to play with the boys this afternoon, so just bring him back then."

He _really wanted to object, see if he could ruffle the woman's feathers any more, but he __was already going there. It wouldn't be any burden on him to haul the kid around. He looked down at the little boy, who returned his gaze, full of hope and expectation. In spite of himself, Gohan grinned._

He gave a curt nod of agreement and continued out the door, Goten trailing. The elder Saiyan turned to pick up his brother, when the young boy asked, "Um, Gohan, is it ok if I ride Nimbus this time?" The teen shrugged.

"Fine with me," and he took to the air as the younger demi-Saiyan called the cloud and followed. 

"Slow down, Gohan!"

*****

At the same time as Gohan was again leaving his home, Videl Satan was en route to Orange Star, periodically checking her rear-view mirror for a certain dark-haired boy.

And sure enough, there he was, quickly closing the distance between the two. Somewhere, in the back of her mind, she absently wondered if he purposely ran into her each morning now. Pushing the thought away, she opened up the passenger door as he slipped into the seat beside her.

"Good morning, Gohan. No bad news today, I hope," she ventured, and he smiled.

"Nope," he laughed, "hopefully no bad news for quite some time."

"Great, I can't wait to start again. Every time I see you come flying up... it's it's just so exciting!"

"Well," Gohan became serious for a moment, "you know we can't train today, right? I solemnly swore to Goten and Trunks yesterday that I'd spar with them after school today."

She looked confused. "'Spar with'? As in fight? I thought those two just wanted you to play 'cops and robbers' with them or something."

"Fighting _is their idea of playing," he clarified simply. "That's what they meant when they asked me to play. They __love martial arts."_

"Oh," Videl nodded knowingly, though inside she was still somewhat perplexed. Those kids knew martial arts? And practiced them on Gohan? And GOHAN knew martial arts? And practiced them on those kids?! She guessed maybe she'd have noticed that Saiyaman could fight if she'd paid more attention to his techniques than trying to figure out who he was.

"If you want," Gohan interrupted her thoughts, "you can come by with me. I'm sure the boys'd love another training partner. That way, I won't have them both beating on me the whole time, and you can get some practice in, too."

"Great!" Sparring with a couple of kids? Shouldn't be too hard, right? Right?

*****

"Trunks!" Goten called as he tore through the Capsule Corp. building like lightning in search of his friend. "Trunks! TRU-U-U-U-NKS! I'm HERE!"

Bulma laughed as she watched the little boy. "Reminds me more and more of Goku every time I see the kid. Sometimes I half expect a younger version of me with that _terrible haircut to come chasing after him..." she turned to Gohan. "But enough of my reminiscing. Shouldn't you be getting on to school? Doesn't it start in a few minutes?"_

"Oh, not today. Most of the school is taking exams, and since I've aced all the tests this year, I'm exempt," he lied smoothly. "Where's Vegeta? I figured with the day off, I'd take the time to rub his face into the ground before I take on the shrimps," he finished, smirking.

The blue-haired scientist frowned at Gohan's arrogance, though she supposed she should have been used to it by now since she _was married to the prince of arrogance. Still, it wasn't like that boy..._

"He's back in the GR training." She pointed a thumb behind her. "There's a locker room with complimentary gis you can change into on your way back, first door to your left." With that, she turned and left through a door by the kitchen, leaving Gohan to his own devices. Immediately he abandoned the foyer in search of the locker room.

He crossed the threshold and found Trunks and Goten already changing. "What's up Gohan?" Trunks asked, looking up. "Looking for something?"

"Yeah," Gohan replied, removing his shirt while sifting through the gis until he found one that suited his tastes. "Your father. I want a match."

"You're staying?" Goten eagerly asked, practically jumping up and down with glee. Gohan nodded, pulling a black gi with white edging over his head.

"YAY!" The two demi-Saiyans shouted joyfully, bouncing around the locker room. "Playti—" But both stopped simultaneously, their attention caught by Gohan, who had now tossed aside his sweats, finishing dressing.

"Go...Gohan?" his brother stammered, disbelief coloring his voice.

The older boy turned his head a bit to see his brother out of the corner of his eye. "What, kid?"

Trunks pointed, also stammering, "Wh—what's that?" He _thought he knew what it was, but he'd never actually __seen one. __He hadn't had one, and, as far as he knew, __Goten hadn't had one, either._

Gohan looked down his back to his boxers, right to where Trunks and, now, Goten were pointing. And there, poking out from a hole just large enough for it to fit through and still retain some modesty, was a short, brown, and quite fuzzy tail. A Saiyan tail to be precise.

"Gohan... is that a...tail?" Trunks whispered. "I mean...I didn't know you still had one."

"Yeah," Goten began, "I thought Mr. Piccolo cut off the last one you had... or was that Vegeta?"

Gohan picked up the furry appendage, suddenly feeling a fierce (pardon the pun) attachment to it. How _had it re-grown? He'd thought one it was gone, it was gone for good. But then, it had re-grown once, and here it was again..._

"Gohan?" Goten and Trunks asked.

"I guess it's back," he stated simply and finally, still admiring it.

"Are you going to cut it off again?" Goten asked.

Gohan clutched the tail to his chest, "Stupid kid, why would I do that?"

"But Gohan," Trunks interjected, "What about the moon?"

"What about it?" Gohan snapped back, and this seemed to put a stop to all arguments. Gohan wrapped the tail around his waist, hidden from view, and finished dressing, then all three headed back towards the Gravity Room.

Trunks was the first to reach the door to the chamber, and began knocking. After a minute with no answer, he knocked again, a bit more forcefully. Still nothing; He lifted his fist once more to try again, but was violently shoved out of the way by Gohan, who nearly ripped the door off of its hinges. Immediately, all the excess gravity was negated, and the Saiyan prince was sent flying into a wall, propelled forward by the force of his own punch in normal gravity.

Angry grunts accompanied Vegeta's efforts to remove himself from the wall, and he yelled out in anger, "Who was it?" Breathing heavily, he continued in a hissing threat, "Who DARES to disturb me in the middle of—"

"I do," Gohan stated simply, extending a hand to the fallen Saiyan. "Now, may I have this dance, m'lady?"

"You're a regular comedian, brat. What do you want?" he snapped.

"A sparring partner," the intruder replied smoothly. Vegeta smiled.

"Then I'm sure one of the _children would be more than an adequate match, boy."_

Gohan's face hardened in anger, but he caught himself and shrugged, then turned back towards the door he had just come through. He knew how to bait the elder Saiyan. "Fine, I guess I'll take Goten. None of your line, least of all _you would have a chance against me. I can understand why you wouldn't want to spar; I know it's been seven years, but I still understand." He grabbed Goten and began to walk back out into the hall._

Just before he stepped out, though, a voice called him back, "Wait..."

*****

"Well, it's been a pretty quiet day," Videl observed as she accompanied Gohan up the stairs to the roof of Orange Star High, "You didn't have to make up one lame excuse all day. But I think I'm ready for a little action now." Upon reaching the top, she jogged over to the railing, performed a quick check of the school grounds, then popped open her copter capsule. "To Capsule Corp?"

He nodded and replied, "To Capsule Corp."

"Hey Gohan!" she called out as she slipped into the pilot seat.

"Yeah?"

"I'll race ya," she challenged slyly, pulling closed the door. Gohan stood in place for a moment, a little shocked, then readied himself, signifying his acceptance.

"On your mark..." Videl called, revving her engines, "Get set...GO!"

*****

"Ugh!" came a cry of pain mixed with anger from inside the Gravity Room as one of the fighters was knocked to the ground, up again within seconds of the impact.

"They've been in there for _hours," Goten complained. "I'm bored Trunks!"_

"I told you we should've grabbed Gohan when we had the chance!" he replied, leaning against the wall. "Once my dad gets his hooks into him, he'll be in there all day."

"But," his friend protested, "he promised!"

Trunks rolled his eyes and walked up to the GR door, straining to hear. "I wonder who's winning..." He closed his eyes and listened intently.

Goten, hearing voices drifting down the hall, abandoned his companion to investigate. Moments later, he came shooting back, tapping Trunks repeatedly on the shoulder and jumping from one foot to the next. "Hey, Trunks!" he whispered anxiously, still tapping and glancing furtively down the hall. "Trunks, you gotta come see this!" 

"What?" he called back exasperatedly, his ear still straining for some sounds from the battling Saiyans. He leaned away from the door and sighed, facing his counterpart. "What do you—"

He, seven-year-old that he was, nearly had a heart attack.

"It's Gohan!" he whispered to Goten. "He-he's in the front room!"

"Duh, I know, I've been trying to tell—"

"Clamp it, Goten, I thought you needed to pee or something." He turned back to the GR, where fighting sounds could still be heard. "There's only _one door to the Gravity Room, and you and I have been watching it all day, right?" Goten nodded. "Well, if Gohan's in there," he pointed to the GR, then moved it to the foyer, "then who's out there?"_

The young Son simply shrugged. "Wanna go see?" Trunks nodded, and both slipped quietly into the front room.

"Gohan?" they called meekly, peeping up from behind the couch.

"Hey squirts! I've been looking for you; see, I promised you I'd come by to train!" he greeted cheerily.

Both young demi-Saiyans turned their gazes from the Gohan in front of them to the hallway, beyond which lay the Gravity Room and the _other Gohan, then back to each other._

"Guys? Don't you want to train?" Immediately the same thought struck them: two Gohans meant... one for each of them!

"Yay! PLAYTIME!" And thus, Gohan was dragged off. 

Videl moved to follow them, savoring the look of panic which had flitted across her friend's face, when her watch began to beep, transmitting a police bulletin.

"Again?" she muttered to herself. She'd never get to train. "What is it, Chief?"

"Videl, I've just received word from one of the air patrol units that they mayor has been kidnapped by some guys claiming to be part of a new gang, the Red Sharks. They're in a yellow pickup, headed South on Highway 19. Please hurry; the unit's hot on their trail, but we can't reach them!"

"On my way!" She clicked off the watch and raced down the hall in search of Gohan.

Then, Lady Fate decided to throw Videl Satan a curve ball, in the shape of Son Gohan. There he stood in the locker room, changing into a fighting gi, and half-naked.

"ACK!" she yelped in embarrassment, and quickly turned her back on the boys, her face beet red. "G-Gohan, the, uh, the police chief, he called. There's been a, uh, a kidnapping, and we need to, you and me, we, w-we," she gave a dry cough, "go. We need to go. Go. Save them, you know." She cautiously turned her head to see out of the corner of her eye: he'd put on the rest of the gi, both to her relief and dismay.

Relief, because he was no longer half-naked.

Dismay, because he was no longer half-naked.

...

What was that thought? What_ was that thought? Where had it come from, how had it gotten there, and __why was it there?! Nerves, that's what Videl suspected it was, just nerves._

"Videl?" Gohan cautiously waved a hand before her, snapping his fingers in front of her clouded eyes. "Videl, are we going? The kidnapping?"

Videl crashed back into reality with a thud. "Wha-? Yeah, the Mayor! We should—"

"Go, you already said that." She nodded, and ran back down the hallway, leaving a somewhat confused Gohan and two younger Saiyans behind. 

"She's... weird," Trunks commented. Goten elbowed him, while Gohan followed her out the door.

All the two boys could do was sit and watch, dejected. "No lesson again, I guess," Goten noted, self-pity coloring his voice.

Trunks, however, brightened significantly as he remembered. "Goten, we'll just get the other Gohan!"

"Yeah!" Goten chirped, "Gohan Number 2!" and they raced each other back to the GR, which was now empty.

After a thorough inspection, Trunks declared, "They foyer! They're probably taking a break."

"Either that or they broke the room again. Remember how mad your mom got that last time?" Both shivered and decided not to think about it.

*****

"Well, boy, have you had enough?" Vegeta taunted from across the room, crouched down and breathing hard, "Or shall we continue?" He straightened up to his full height, which really wasn't all that menacing.

Gohan shook a finger at the prince, he, too, crouched on the floor and trying to catch his breath. "Vegeta, Vegeta, Vegeta, you of all people should know it's wise to give up when you're obviously outmatched and outclassed." He stood and gestured to the door. "But since I know you refuse to give in, and I've no reason to, what do you say we take a break?"

The elder Saiyan sneered, "If you really think you need one, brat; although it's only been, what, four hours? Your father could go twice as long in here without breaking a sweat. But then," he turned away, "you're not your father."

Gohan chuckled evilly, "Neither are you," and marched through the door into the kitchen, grabbing a glass and filling it to the brim with water, downing it with one gulp. After he refilled it, he took a seat on one of the overly-cushioned couches Capsule Corp. provided and slowed his breathing, enjoying the calm.

"Weakling," Vegeta taunted from across the room, where he leaned against the wall with his own glass. "You put up a good fight, but, as I said before, you're not your father."

"What are you talking about, old man, you were practically begging for mercy in there; I doubt you'd pose the threat of a fly to my father now. He _has been training in Other World, you know, while you—you were confined here to earth, with the limited technology these frail humans have available to them."_

"Frail?" the prince sounded slightly impressed. "Since when did you start thinking of humans as frail?" Gohan shrugged. "I'll make a decent Saiyan of you yet." 

"I'd like to see you try, old man. Your son puts up more of a fight than you."

Vegeta released a low, angry growl, and flung his glass to the floor where it shattered. "Get up, brat, and face me, man to boy." Gohan shook his head in mirth, but obliged, and both turned back through the door to the GR.

On the way there, however, they were held up by an obstacle in the form of two much smaller, much more mischievous Saiyans; two Saiyans who were trying to wrestle Gohan away from Vegeta.

"NO!" Gohan yelled, "I said I'm sparring with Vegeta, now leave me ALONE!" He tossed the two aside like small rag dolls.

"But," Goten complained, "There's no Gohan #3!"

"What?"

"Videl came by and took one Gohan, so—"

Gohan perked up and softened his glare a little for show, to get more information from his brother. "Videl was here? When?"

Trunks sighed, joining into the interrogation. "Just a few minutes ago; she left with—"

"Where?"

Goten answered, "She said there was some chase on the highway, then you and her—"

But he never got to finish answering his brother, as now the backup Gohan was gone as well. Or was that 'Gohan was gone _again'? This was all confusing Goten and Trunks._

"Now we don't have _any Gohans!"_

"But," came a sinister voice from behind them, placing one hand on Trunks's shoulder, "I'm still here, and, lucky you, I also need a new sparring partner...," he placed his other hand on Goten, "or two."

"ACK!"

*****

"Hah!" Videl let out a triumphant yell as she landed firmly on the hood of the speeding truck, then swung inside through the driver's window to punch out the thug at the wheel and take over steering. "Are you alright, Mr. Kinton?" she asked the thoroughly frightened mayor in the passenger seat, laying a reassuring hand on the older man's shoulder, while Saiyaman expertly dispatched the hijackers in the bed of the truck.

She shoved the now unconscious driver over and pushed a foot on the brake pedal as hard as she could: nothing. Again, nothing. "I'm not the best driver," she said to herself, "but usually something happens when you push the brakes. Saiyaman!" She yelled out the superhero's name and immediately got his attention. "The brakes are out!"

"I'm on it, Miss Videl!" he responded, and zipped from the bed of the truck to the front, where he held fast to the grill and began pushing backwards. Slowly, the vehicle began to slow.

"No," came a cool voice from above, "_I'm on it, Miss Videl."_

Saiyaman would have fallen to the ground in shock had he not been in front of a pick-up truck doing ninety miles-per-hour. "I-it's—"

"Gold Fighter?" Videl called out, her voice mirroring the shock Saiyaman held.

_'Oh yeah, that's what the call me,' recalled Gohan—because it was, of course, Gohan in Super-Saiyan form._

With the 'Gold Fighter' now helping, the truck quickly slowed to a stop, and the two Gohans turned to face each other. Videl jumped from the seat to face the Gold Fighter.

"Long time, no see, Golden Boy."

Super-Saiyan Gohan ignored her, and instead the two boys circled each other, each searching for an explanation. If he himself was Gohan—and he was—then who was this clown impersonating him?

"Do you two...know each other?" Videl asked, seeing the way the two fighters in front of her were glaring at each other, and feeling left out of the fun. "Gohan?"

"Capsule Corp," both Gohans stated at the same time, hoping someone there could figure the situation out, and shot into the sky.

"Gohan!" But neither returned so much as a wave goodbye. "Ooh!" growled a very ticked off, earth-bound crime fighter. "Capsule Corp, huh?"

*****

"Now, let me get this straight," Bulma said, rubbing her temples as she paced before the two Gohans. "You both claim to be Son Gohan?"

"Yes," was the simultaneous reply.

The scientist waved a hand exasperatedly in front of her face, "Wait, wait, you—" she pointed to the Super-Saiyan Gohan, "why are you a Super-Saiyan?"

"Um, I was _born that way?" He rolled his eyes at the banal question._

"No, no, no, why are you a Super-Saiyan as opposed to Saiyaman?" She pointed to his wrist. "Where's the capsule watch I made you?"

"I couldn't find it this morning." He glared daggers at the Saiyaman Gohan. "He must have taken it."

"Well, power down," she suggested, "it's a lot easier to identify you as Gohan without the gold hair and weird eyes." Reluctantly, he did what the woman asked, reverting to his normal black-haired, black-eyed self. Bulma nodded, face still serious. "Looks like Gohan to me. You—" she now turned her attention to the Saiyaman Gohan. "Take off the helmet."

He readily obliged, removing the unsightly orange covering. Bulma, as well as Vegeta, Trunks, and Goten who—up to now—had remained silent, gasped in utter shock.

"There...there really _are two Gohans," Trunks remarked in a whisper._

"Yeah..." Goten agreed, "Can we play with them now?" Needless to say, he received a quick smack to the head, courtesy of Trunks.

"Impossible..." Vegeta breathed, unable to mask his surprise.

"Well, they both look real to me, every hair in place," Bulma observed, "but how can they be?" Both Gohans shrugged, then the former Super-Saiyan Gohan began to circle his counterpart.

"He isn't me," he stated.

All eyes flew to the boy. "How do you know that?" Bulma asked.

"He _can't be me," he sneered. "Look, he doesn't even have a tail."_

"Nor do you, _boy." Vegeta._

"Then what," he uncurled the appendage from his waist, "is this?"

"How did you get that?" both Vegeta and Saiyaman Gohan asked, staring at the tail.

"I—I haven't had one for...over a decade!" Saiyaman protested, "He can't possibly be me!" Arguments between the two Gohans and Vegeta went on for a good five minutes before Bulma interrupted.

"QUIET!" Everyone stopped and stared. "Now, I think I have a quick, easy solution to end this whole mess and find out which one is the real Gohan."

"Then speak up, woman!" Vegeta and the former Super-Saiyan Gohan demanded. She ignored the remark and continued.

"Gohan is half Saiyan, right? So he can become a Super-Saiyan as well, right?" Heads nodded. "Then, it would make sense that an imposter couldn't transform; so let's have you both do it."

"But, I came in here already transformed!"

Bulma shook her head. "You'll have to do it again."

Gohan growled, but nevertheless, a golden explosion of light filled the room as the boy transformed. All eyes now turned to the Saiyaman. "You too, kid. Go for it." He nodded and closed his eyes, concentrating and gathering his energy for the transformation.

Bulma stepped back a step, awaiting another explosion, but received none. After a moment, Gohan opened his eyes and looked up at her, a woman he'd known nearly all his life and been on so many adventures with. Something danced behind his gaze, was it...anxiety? Confusion...fear? "I can't do it... I can't go Super..." he exclaimed in a whisper, shocked. "I can't..."

"_Imposter!" Super-Saiyan Gohan spat. "How __dare you sully my pride in this way! For this, you will pay most dearly." He raised his palm, readying a blast. "Your life will do, I think."_

"_No! I __am Gohan! I am! You—you must believe me! I don't know...I don't know what's wrong, why can't I transform?! There must be some way—"_

"Shut up, coward," Gohan sneered, and took careful aim, enjoying his double's pleas for mercy.

"Gohan, NO!" Bulma rushed him, only to be roughly knocked away to the ground, as Vegeta looked on, blood boiling.

"Insolent _brat!" His swift punch sent Gohan flying across the room and into the far wall. "You never, __ever touch my mate. __Ever."_

"What are you doing?!" Gohan exclaimed in a frenzied voice. "Let me dispatch this fool, and we'll be finished!" He gestured to Bulma, whom her husband was now helping up, "Th-the woman was interfering!"

"No! I can prove I'm Gohan!" the Saiyaman Gohan jumped back in, as Bulma shakily returned to her feet.

"H-how?"

He turned to face her. "A blood test. We won't be able to fake it, and it will _prove I'm Gohan. Not all Saiyans can go Super, you know."_

The Gohan who _was a Super-Saiyan stood with an effort, sneering, "__Gohan could, though."_

"Fine," Bulma agreed, "a blood test."

*****

"Isn't she done _yet?" Gohan complained, powered down now. "I'd like to get this fiasco over with some time today."_

"Not worried, are we _Gohan? Feeling a bit edgy?" Saiyaman queried._

"Oh no, not at all, _Goh—"_

Just then, before yet another fight broke out between the two, a grave faced Bulma exited the lab, a packet of papers in her hand.

"Well?" the Gohans asked anxiously.

"My results were...inconclusive."

"Inconclusive?" Vegeta echoed. "Come on, woman, he either was or wasn't Kakkarot's spawn; which was it?"

The scientist sighed, and turned first to face the Saiyaman Gohan. "I'm sorry," she consoled, and his face immediately fell, "your test results show that your blood is not only _not Gohan's, but it has no Saiyan components at all. You are 100% human, kid, as human as myself._

He sank to the floor in a heap, whispering to himself, "No...no...no..."

"Then that proves it," the other Gohan crowed, "Now may I finish him?"

"Wait a minute, Mr. Ki-Blast-Happy, I wasn't finished. Your results show your blood is made up of nothing _but Saiyan components; you're 100% Saiyan."_

"And?"

"Wait..." Trunks noted, "Gohan's only s'pposed to be half-Saiyan, like me!"

"And me!" Goten joined.

"Exactly," Bulma stated bluntly.

"Then, neither one is the brat?"

Bulma gave a small, non-committal nod. "That's...one theory."

"As opposed to?"

"Well, it's quite a long shot, but..." She approached Saiyaman and bent down to face him eye level. "Gohan, I want you to tell me what you did yesterday after you left here."

"After he left? Why?"

"Because whatever is happening, I think it started _after he left; he seemed fine when he was here."_

"I—I didn't really do much of anything, I took Goten home and met Piccolo, talked to him, then went to bed, I wasn't feeling well."

"Weren't feeling well? Were you sick?"

"No, just tired, stressed out, I was trying to figure out how to organize some of the chaos that had become my life—"

"Wait a minute..." the other Gohan interrupted, "I remember too, I remember, I felt kind of stretched, like there needed to be more of me around..."

"You both remember this?" They nodded.

"Then... maybe the stress made me split?"

Bulma shook her head, "I think there's more to it than that; see, you didn't just split, you became two beings, one Saiyan and one human, hence the blood test results. It _might have been you that did this, or maybe..."  
  
_

"Maybe?"

"Maybe someone...or some_thing else did it...some outside force." she ventured._

Both Gohans' eyes lit up. "THAT'S what Piccolo meant!"

End Chapter 5.


	6. The Second Lesson

Author's note: Ok, another long chapter, took me a while to write. I introduced the beginning of the plot in the last chapter, and I'll go into more detail in this one about that problem. Yes, this is an A/U story, but yes, many elements from the normal timeline will be in mine. Buu will be in this, but I've got special plans for him as you'll soon see. MWAHAHAHAA! *cough* Ok, now read the story, and don't forget to be nice and review!

_Last time on It's a Start:_

"Well," Gohan became serious for a moment, "you know we can't train today, right? I solemnly swore to Goten and Trunks yesterday that I'd spar with them after school today."

***

"You're staying?" Goten eagerly asked, practically jumping up and down with glee. Gohan nodded, pulling a black gi with white edging over his head.

***

"Gohan... is that a...tail?" Trunks whispered. "I mean...I didn't know you still had one."

***

With the 'Gold Fighter' now helping, the truck quickly slowed to a stop, and the two Gohans turned to face each other. Videl jumped from the seat to face the Gold Fighter.

***

Bulma shook her head, "I think there's more to it than that; see, you didn't just split, you became two beings, one Saiyan and one human, hence the blood test results. It _might have been you that did this, or maybe..."_

_Chapter 6_

"Bulma, dear?" came Mrs. Briefs' cheery voice over the PA system via an overhead speaker in the lab.

"Yeah, Mom?"

"There's a young lady here in the foyer to see you, a Miss Videl Satan? She claims to know Gohan."

From the background of Mrs. Briefs, Videl's angry voice could be heard. "Hey, lady, I didn't 'claim' to know him, I _do_. Get it right."

Both Gohans turned to look at each other.

"Oh…"

"…crap."

Bulma awaited a reply from the two. "Well? We can't very well leave her out there."

Saiyan Gohan spoke up. "Let her back." His double turned to him, a puzzled expression on his face. "I'll solve this." With that, he powered up for the third time that day and in a splash of bright light transformed.

"Wow…" Bulma noted, "this room seems so much darker with you like that, Gohan." And, indeed, the Saiyan emitted a light so brilliant it made the overhead lamps seem dim. "I think a little more artificial light is in order." 

The scientist crossed the room to a panel near the door, deftly flipping a row of switches to the "ON" position. With a low hum, the lights became brighter and Gohan's brilliance faded.

"This way, Miss Videl!" Mrs. Briefs' chipper voice could be heard down the hall as she ushered the crime fighter into the lab. "Here we are!"

Videl took a few tentative steps into the room, looking about, but then lost any semblance of shyness when she spotted Gohan. The human one. "There you are, you jerk!" she accused, and jogged over to him. "What's the deal, leaving me on the highway in the middle of a call?"

He merely blushed sheepishly and stretched his hand behind his head in a nervous manner, dropping his gaze to the tiled floor.

A glowing figure now stepped forward and caught Videl's attention. "He had more important matters to attend to here," Gohan filled in for his counterpart.

"Gold Fighter?" She turned her eyes from one Gohan to the other. "You know the _Gold Fighter_, Gohan?" Awe seemed to drip from her voice. 

"We have… mutual friends, I guess you could say," human Gohan allowed, raising his gaze to stare dead into the girl's in front of him. Black met blue, and he shuddered unconsciously.

"Glad you felt the need to let _me_ know."

"Hey, you never asked. Besides—"

"I don't like a lot of attention," Saiyan Gohan finished for him. His double nodded in agreement.

"Right… anyway, why _did_ you two run off like that?" she questioned Saiyaman. "You met up and just flew away without me." She made a quick mental note to find out just _how_ the Gold Fighter knew how to fly. Was she the only person on the planet who couldn't?

"We didn't really mean to meet; in fact, I wasn't expecting _him_ at all," Saiyan Gohan gestured to the other. "But some… events… have unfolded, and it became necessary that we return here together. To investigate some theories, you see."

Videl held a blank look on her face; there was obviously _something_ big happening, but just beneath the surface of reality. She ground her teeth in frustration: more secrets! That boy had more sides to him than anyone she had ever met; he was so enigmatic, it was almost maddening! How could she—

"Lessons!" human Gohan shouted out. "I nearly forgot about them!" He turned to Bulma. "Do you mind if we use the GR?"

"But," Videl interrupted, her raging river of angry thoughts now tepid, slowed by Gohan's outburst, "I thought you were playing with Trunks and Goten? You mentioned it on the way here."

"Oh yeah…" his voice fell just a bit—he _had_ promised—and he faced the two demi-Saiyans, who sat silently before him by Vegeta, anticipation exploding from their bodies via their bright eyes. Gohan wondered off-handedly if it was possible for them to turn Super simply by becoming excited at the prospect of training with him. _That_ would just be perfect—how could he explain that to Videl? Better get her out of there sooner rather than later.

Saiyan Gohan chose this moment to speak up again. "I'll train her." Six pairs of eyes flew to his face.

"You'll _what_?" Videl and Gohan gasped, shocked. The Saiyan met his double's gaze and smirked, nodding.

"You take the children, as you promised, and I will take Videl." He spoke the end of the statement as more of a challenge than merely a declaration of intent.

Gohan back down from the Saiyan, acquiescing; he couldn't tell him no without Videl asking why not, and _that_ in turn would lead to a whole series of revelations he didn't even want to touch upon. Still, that didn't mean he couldn't set some rules with the alien, and he stepped over to his other self, pushing him back into the wall with no small effort, and uttered in a low hiss quite unnatural for him, "If you hurt her in _any way… you just remember: she's no Saiyan."_

His smirk widened at his counterpart's protectiveness. "Have we something we need to admit to one another?"

Human Gohan gave a Saiyan growl and released his hold on the fighter. "Remember," and he turned and walked through a door on the opposite side of the room with the two boys trailing, glancing at Videl as he swept passed and urged, "Be careful."

_'Be careful?' she echoed in her mind as her friend crossed the threshold and exited the room. _

Bulma stepped forward now, breaking the respectful silence she had held as she watched the bizarre battle rage between Videl and the two Gohans. "Videl? If you like, there's a women's changing room with gis across from the men's down the hall." She pointed out the door and the girl nodded.

"Thanks, Mrs. Briefs."

She waved it off. "Please, call me Bulma. Everyone except Vegeta does."

"Oh?"

"He just calls her 'woman,'" Saiyan Gohan filled in. "I'll wait for you in the main gymnasium since... Gohan... is using the GR." 

"Sure," and she set off down the hall.

"Boy, we've got a major problem on our hands here," Vegeta spat as soon as Videl was out of hearing range. 

"He's right," Bulma added seriously, "We have to figure out exactly what happened to you, and more importantly, how to _undo it."_

"Absolutely," Gohan agreed. "Why don't you get right on it?" And with that he left a very angry Bulma and smirking Vegeta for the gym.

_'Aah, reminds me of me,' Vegeta mused._

_'Those Saiyans!' Bulma fumed silently. As if __one arrogant alien wasn't enough! She sighed loudly and gathered up her papers. It was going to be a long night._

*****

"So, Gohan?" Trunks began bluntly as he traipsed along behind Gohan towards the Gravity Room with Goten, "How do you feel since you're, y'know, not a Saiyan anymore?" 

"I guess... about the same." He pressed a few buttons on the panel outside of the chamber, opening the door. "I mean, I don't necessarily feel any less powerful, not right now at least."

The boys followed the elder fighter into the room. "What d'you mean?" little Goten asked.

Gohan sat on a bench along the far wall and faced both the boys at eye level. "You guys know when you're fighting, you're using ki, right?" They nodded. "Well, as Saiyans, you're born with an inherently large ki well in your bodies; that's what makes us—you such great fighters: We're naturally stronger than everyone else. Humans, on the other hand are... different. They _don't have a large ki pool; in fact, they have hardly any ki at all if they don't train regularly."_

"...No ki?" the boys gasped, horrified. Gohan nodded solemnly.

"What's more, while Saiyans can actually _gain ki through fighting, humans have a certain amount they can attain. After they reach this point, it's physically impossible for them to become any stronger."_

"Is that why Krillin's still so weak? After all this time?" 

"Don't say that! Krillin's pretty strong!"

Both kids smirked and rolled their eyes. "So... how strong are you now?" Trunks asked.

"Let's put it this way," the human confided, and bent down to speak in a whisper, "Videl almost _beat me when I raced her here from my school."_

It was all the children could do not to laugh.

"Sh—should we take it easy on you then? Maybe we should have taken Saiyan Gohan and left you with Vid-e-e-e-l," Trunks chortled, dragging out the last syllable of the girl's name, knowing it would raise Gohan's ire.

"Come one, I may be human, but I'm still me, and I still know all my old fighting moves and attacks. Just... no going Super, ok?"

"Right!"

*****

Videl mindlessly thumbed through the many multi-colored gis hanging from the rack in the locker room, finally deciding on a nice red one trimmed in white.

Inside, though, she was positively _bubbling with excitement. Bubbling! That was something she'd given up a long time ago. Tough girls didn't bubble, crime fighters didn't bubble; valley girls bubbled, brainless twits bubbled. It was all __his fault._

The Gold Fighter. Today had really been the first time she'd ever seen him, but his name was nearly as well known throughout the city as her father's. After all, you can't stop a car by yelling at it—as she'd been told the Gold Fighter had done—and hope to stay anonymous. 

"Welcome to my life," she said to no one, and finished straightening the gi as she exited the locker room. 

After getting directions from Mrs. Briefs and apologizing for her earlier rudeness, she joined Gohan in the gym.

"Ready?" he asked her, standing in the middle of the court. She gave a curt nod and assumed a position across from the warrior. "Have a seat." When they were both comfortable, sitting cross-legged, he questioned, "Where did we leave off?"

Videl had to mull that over a moment, it had been over three days. Three days? Now that she thought about it, that wasn't really that long, but it seemed to her an eternity.

Huh? Wait a minute... "'We'?"

The only evidence on Gohan's face to show something was wrong was a split-second twitch of his eyebrow. On the inside, however, he was screaming. He wanted to blow something up...like, a mountain or a small planet; his body was set to panic. _Idiot!_

"You and Gohan, you know what I mean," he saved.

Videl glanced at him askance. He seemed to have lost some of the confidence she'd thought he'd had back in the lab. "I think," she began, "_Gohan and I stopped when I found my energy, my—oh, what'd he call it?"_

"Ki," Gohan filled in.

"Right—hey!"

"What?" He looked up.

Videl uncrossed her legs and stood on the spot, looking down on the golden warrior. "Does that mean you know about this energy business too?"

"Naturally," he replied nonchalantly, "Why do you think I volunteered to take Gohan's place and train you?"

Videl threw up her hands in exasperation. "Is there anyone around here who doesn'tknow how to use ki, or am I the only one?"

Gohan grinned. "Your father."

Her face hardened. "What do you know about my father?"

He stood slowly and assumed his full height, now looking down on her. "More than you'll ever know." She made a move to counter this response, but he stopped her with a finger to her lips. "This...is going nowhere fast—don't you want to fly?"

She growled but nodded anyway, and resumed her seat on the floor, pouting. 

"Now, do you think you can find your center again?"

She paused her pouting for a moment, then shook her head no, it'd been too long. She barely remembered even finding it the first time, much less how she'd found it.

"Very well, we'll start over; close your eyes." She obliged, shutting herself off from the light, but still felt the warmth the warrior before her radiated. "Clear your mind; picture it as blank. _You may not remember your ki, but your body does. You've already unlocked it, now let it flow through you, don't fight it. It's your energy, yours to control, yours to command."_

Videl did as he said, though she was quite astounded at how strikingly different the Gold Fighter's tutelage was from Gohan's. The two seemed to be polar opposites, and didn't exude any outward signs of the friendship they claimed to share.

To her, the Gold Fighter was just that: a fighter, a hardened warrior who spoke with a coldness to his voice that just barely softened when he was around her. Gohan was...Gohan. If he was any type of serious fighter, then _she certainly didn't know it. Of course, it seemed there was a lot she didn't know. The only thing that seemed to link them was this ki business._

Oh, right, the ki. She quickly refocused her thoughts on finding the energy.

"Picture a ball in your palm." He reached down and grasped her right hand. "This one." She shivered involuntarily, a response not unnoticed by the Saiyan's heightened senses. "Cup your fingers around it as if it was really there, then send your ki out to it, and—"

Videl suddenly gasped, and her eyes shot open and flew to her fist. "It's—"

"Your ki."

She began to marvel at the energy in her palm, leaning in until her face almost touched it, when it disappeared as quickly as it had formed, leaving her light-headed and unbalanced. She began to fall forward, lacking the strength to stop herself, when two strong arms grabbed her, steadying her flimsy body.

"And that is why if you want to fly, you must train hard. Flying won't use nearly as much ki as that ball you just made, but try flying for too long, and you may find yourself in an unpleasant position when your energy gives out." He smirked and released her hand. "Like a few thousand feet up."

Videl gulped, but replied through large breaths, "If that's what it takes, then bring it on."

She _was a fighter. Here she was, struggling for air after producing a ki ball barely powerful enough to toast a marshmallow, and she wanted more! He smiled and stood. "Hit me."_

What? "Hit you?" She gingerly stood also, her hands hanging limp by her sides as she was still regaining her strength.

He nodded simply. "If you're this weak after that, you'll never progress. And for me to help you, I need to assess your strength. We can start training to build up that ki of yours right now. Try to hit me." 

She noticed the added "try" to his command, and scoffed on the inside. Cocky, wasn't he? "How exactly will that increase my ki?"

"By increasing your speed and stamina through training exercises like this, you'll increase your ki as well as gather important moves you may use in a fight someday. Now, come on." He beckoned her forward, and she gingerly leaned down into a fighting stance, her sight still somewhat blurry. She shook her head to clear her vision, and then shot ahead out of her position, straight at Gohan, quickly closing the few feet of distance between the two. With a cry of triumph she powerfully thrust a single fist into his chest.

At least, it _wo__uld have been Gohan's chest, had he still been standing there. Instead, Videl had to hop on one foot for a moment, unbalanced, before eventually shifting her weight evenly onto both feet. She turned quickly, caught off guard, at a voice behind her. _

Gohan shook a finger at his pupil. "Not quite fast enough."

Videl's heart was pounding a mile a minute, both from the effort of executing the move and from shock at her inability to even touch the Gold Fighter. Speechless, she went over in her head what had just transpired.

He was...lightning! As fast and as brilliant as the force of nature he embodied, he'd moved so quickly that her eyes hadn't even been able to register it. All she'd hit was an afterimage!

"How did—that was so... _fast!" was her witty reply to the event. She began immediately berating herself, how could she ever hope to attain that kind of __power? To be able to move as fast as that, she assumed, must require a great amount of energy. Maybe there was some bit of truth to the Gold Fighter's remarks about her father..._

"I'm a little rusty," he conceded. "You nearly almost had me, sort of."

Videl slumped to the ground in a heap, exhausted both physically from the exercise and mentally from the thoughts running through her mind. She looked up at him, a hopeless expression on her face. "I have to become _that fast before I can fly?"_

"Oh no," he waved the question off, and Videl brightened significantly, perhaps she _could do this! "That was just a simple exercise to show you what kind of training you can expect to undergo if you want to pursue ki martial arts."_

If? _If? How could he ask "if"? True, it was a question she hadn't asked herself before: Would she be satisfied just learning to fly? But now, seeing children half her age surpass her in strength and stamina, being made a fool of by a mysterious fighter, could she really go back to her old world of simple punches and kicks? Now that she knew of the existence of ki and its uses, a whole new world lay open before her. Or perhaps, she had just found a new way to look at her current one; how could she ever go back? Now, there was nothing left to do but follow the man before her into the unknown wilderness of his world._

*****

"Let me get this straight," a pink figure drawled from a high throne, banally drumming his fingers along the armrest. His long lavender tunic, edged in gold, hung limply about his form, tied with a red belt at the waist, and a violet undershirt puffed out at his arms. A small golden ball hung from each ear. "You want me to turn traitor, betray not only my entire quadrant, but the rest of the universe, as well as the Grand and Supreme Kais," he ticked off each stipulation his fingers, "For you?"

A short hooded man stood alone before him, nodding slowly. "You would, of course, be well compensated for your support of my plans."

The pink man raised one eyebrow, the only sign of his interest. "How well?"

"I think... jurisdiction over a few other certain quadrants as well as the assurance you would be spared the destruction your associates may expect will be quite enough."

The figure on the throne smiled. "If you have the power to promise me this, why not carry out your 'grand plan' now? Why come here and seek my aid?"

"Oh don't worry, I never go back on my word. I will reveal all, but for now, you must trust me, Kai."

This apparently satisfied the ruler, who now stood before the small figure before him. "Very well, Master Babidi. You have the support of the South quadrant. Now please, tell me, what thorn is it that resides in the side of so powerful a wizard as you?"

The hood was removed from his head, and his eyes glowed with a flicker of evil intent. "Son Gohan."

*****

"Now, let your energy flow through your legs, guide it down to your feet. Concentrate it in the soles of your feet, let it be a buoy."

Gohan watched eagerly as the human girl before him tested abilities he himself hadn't learned until he was some six years of age. Her face was scrunched into one of intense concentration, and sweat began to bead across her forehead from the effort.

"Don't try so hard!" he reprimanded. "If it doesn't come easily, then you're not doing it right."

Videl slowly relaxed her face, but not to continue concentrating; instead, she opened her eyes to peer up at the Saiyan, abandoning all pretense of focusing.

"What?" he asked, annoyed at her disruption of the lesson.

"Just how long have you been using energy?"

A harmless question. He shrugged, "I guess... twelve, thirteen years now. Why?"

"And how long have _I been using energy?"_

Gohan saw the direction she was leading the conversation in. "Listen, I'm trying to help you here; if you're too weak—"

"Weak?!" she yelled, her anger rising, and she instinctively leaned forward, swinging a fist and hoping to connect with some part of the warrior's body. Just a light punch; ok, maybe a really hard one. That jerk, she'd teach him to call her weak!

"Videl," Gohan chided, gripping her fist firmly in the palm of one hand with no effort to show. "This isn't productive; you need to learn to take criticism. If you want to take a break, then we will."

"Y—you!" She swiftly snatched her fist back. Unfazed—he'd been completely unfazed, did _nothing move him?! How could she be properly angry with him if there was no response to her ire?_

The Saiyan took a step back from his student, well aware of the fire he was stoking in Videl. Anyway, it was fun. But how to use that to teach her...?

"Are you...angry, Videl?" he baited.

Oh brother, she realized. Maybe that was his and Gohan's link: they were both as dumb as logs.

"Of course I'm angry, idiot! How can you ask such a stupid question?!"

Then, with the lightning speed he'd shown her earlier, he was right in front of her, gripping her shoulders roughly. "Then _use it!"_

Whoa, maybe he _wasn't so stupid. A blank stare, and she squinted her eyes in confusion at his quick change in emotional states. "...What?"_

He explicated, "In a fight, your emotions are heightened, and they have one of two uses: either as a weapon or as a hindrance. They can help you or hurt you, it's your decision. Use your strong feelings to amplify your pure energy and raise your ki, or..." He let her go and turned his gaze to one of his fists, clenching it tightly as if driven by some forgotten memory.

For a moment, she wanted to reach out to him, this tortured stranger, but she checked her feelings, and he continued talking—no longer to her, but to himself, as if being reminded of a lesson taught long ago.

"Because, if you don't...if you don't use them, they'll use you... leave you helpless...or refusing to help..."

Though his eyes were not focused on her, Videl thought she saw them—just for a moment—flicker black, then back to that pale empty blue. Blue like the sea which was full of secrets and guarded them well.

He snapped his head back up, as if suddenly remembering he had an audience. In a voice Videl was quite sure she hadn't heard the fighter use during their lesson, he pleaded, "Don't do it, Videl."

Confused, and not entirely sure she wanted to know the answer, she asked, "Don't what?" It really wasn't her business. She didn't care, did she? There was something in his voice, though, something so familiar that she felt she already knew him, and that made it her business, didn't it?

"Don't let them control you." And he abruptly abandoned her, right in the middle of the gym floor and their lesson.

"Don't...hey!"

*****

"Ok, guys! I give, I give!" Gohan laughed as he landed, breathing hard.

"Huh?" Goten and Trunks jumped to the floor, momentarily abandoning their aerial pursuit of the older boy. "But we just started!"

"Yeah, it's only been a couple hours!"

"I know," Gohan wheezed, "but you gotta give this human body of Big Brother's time to recover after a session like you two just put me through!" He added as an afterthought, "You boys sure are strong , I wasn't even at a fraction of your power levels at your age."

The young Saiyans beamed up at him. "Well, my dad _has been training me," Trunks bragged._

"Me too! Me too!" Goten made known.

"Still," Gohan marveled, "To be so advanced at this age..." He shook his head. "Why don't we break for a few?" At their frowning faces, he assured them, "Just for a few minutes! Maybe we'll see if the other me's done with Videl yet."

"Yay!" the boys rejoiced. Finally, a real challenge!

Gohan headed toward the door, turning the gravity back down to normal as he exited the room into the hallway.

Glancing at his watch on the way out, he noted that it was getting late; he needed to get Goten home soon, or his mom would kill him for keeping her little boy out all night at "that man's" house. 

Wait, how was he going to explain this...situation...to his mother? Maybe it'd be better to not tell, he decided; he didn't want to worry her.

"You?" Gohan nearly walked into his counterpart, so engrossed in his thoughts was he. "I thought you were working with Videl." He paused as a thought flitted across his mind. "She's not hurt, is she?"

Saiyan Gohan scoffed. "Hardly. I needed a break."

Now it was the human's turn to jeer, "You? Tired?"

His double roughly shoved him into the wall. "I said I needed a break. Why don't you take the girl home, I'm staying here tonight."

That solved that problem. "Well, if you're staying, why don't _you take care of her?" Wait, did he __really want his Saiyan side to see Videl off? "I need to get Goten home, and I'm not nearly as fast as you—me—whoever we are now."_

The Saiyan shook his head and, for once, did not rejoin with a sarcastic remark. "No, I—just, you should do it."

"Fine," Gohan sighed. Goten and Trunks had scampered ahead into the foyer, so he abandoned his double and went to gather up his charge.

"Goten?" he called upon enter into the room. "You ready to go? Mom's gonna—"

"Oh, Gohan!" The boy's entrance had startled Videl, who sat in a chair facing away from the hallway and hadn't seen him coming as the two boys had. Goten and Trunks sat on a couch sat on a sofa opposite the girl, facing the long corridor the former Saiyan had entered by.

"Videl!" He quickly dispelled the surprise in his voice, embarrassed. "Good lesson? Sorry I couldn't train you myself."

She waved it off. "No, it's perfectly fine. I understand that you had a previous engagement." She jerked a thumb back to the two on the couch. "I guess since you're here that means you survived?"

He laughed, glad to be free of the tension, "Barely!" 

Goten jumped up from his spot on the couch at the mention of his name and ran to stand in before his brother. "Are we fixin' to go?" Gohan nodded, and the boys' faces grew sad. "But you just said a few minutes' break!"

"I didn't realize what time it was, Mom'll be expecting us."

"But," Goten tried, "Can't we stay for just a little longer?"

"Sure," Gohan agreed, "If you want to explain to Mom why we're late getting home."

The color fled from Goten's face as he rushed out a hasty, "G'bye Trunks, see ya, comin' Gohan? Let's go let's go let's go."

He rolled his eyes at his younger brother's actions and turned to Videl. "Need any help getting home?"

"I think I'll manage. Tomorrow, same time?" He gave an affirmative nod, and she smiled brightly, "Great!"

The teens parted ways, Videl back into town and Gohan with Goten home.

"Hey, squirt," he suggested, "Let's not tell Mom about the other me, 'k?"

"Sure, Gohan," he agreed readily, "But she's gonna wanna know why you were so mean to her this morning."

"What? But I wasn't—oh, great."

As the shadows on the ground far below the pair lengthened, the familiar domed Son home crept ever closer. Night was fast approaching, marking the en of Gohan's first day as a human.

Did he really feel different? Of course: half his heritage had just been unceremoniously stripped from his body. His passion, his drive, his fighting spirit was gone, now confined in a separate being. How could anyone not feel different? A better question probably was, did he feel happy, relieved of the burden of his Saiyan feelings? Or was he perhaps feeling a little remorse over the separation?

And would he, given the choice, go back to the way things were?

--End Chapter Six--

Note: The part with Babidi and the South Kai was supposed to have taken place _before the __previous chapter, but I just now wrote it, so sorry for the confusion. Their relationship will be spoken of in more detail in subsequent chapters. _


	7. Choices, Questions, and Answers

Author's Note: Rejoice, all ye faithful, it's another chapter up! I've abandoned rating how good my chapters are by how long they are, they'll all be pretty long from now on. I just can't help myself! So, to all you enjoying the story, get ready for more fun! To those of you not, welcome to your worst nightmare.

_Last time on It's a Start_

"Gold Fighter?" She turned her eyes from one Gohan to the other. "You know the _Gold Fighter_, Gohan?" Awe seemed to drip from her voice.

***

Saiyan Gohan chose this moment to speak up again. "I'll train her." Six pairs of eyes flew to his face.

***

"Sh—should we take it easy on you then? Maybe we should have taken Saiyan Gohan and left you with Vid-e-e-e-l," Trunks chortled, dragging out the last syllable of the girl's name, knowing it would raise Gohan's ire.

***

This apparently satisfied the ruler, who now stood before the small figure before him. "Very well, Master Babidi. You have the support of the South quadrant. Now please, tell me, what thorn is it that resides in the side of so powerful a wizard as you?"

The hood was removed from his head, and his eyes glowed with a flicker of evil intent. "Son Gohan."

***

And would he, given the choice, go back to the way things were?

_Chapter Seven: Choices, Questions, Answers_

The Supreme Kai gravely studied the stars before him, a grim expression painted on his features. This was wrong… so very wrong, and wrong things did not bode well for the future. Why hadn't he paid more attention to this quadrant? Why? This was _definitely not good._

*****

Five…four…three…two…one…Videl gave an inward cheer as the final bell rang, ending the school day as well as the school week. Though she outwardly projected a blasé expression, inside she was as happy as Goten and Trunks at the prospect of training with Gohan. Never before, she recalled, had she been so excited about a martial arts lesson, and she'd been trained under the best! From around the globe, sensei actually fought for the _privilege to tutor her, yet she'd never felt so involved in it as she did now. She thought she might actually be getting somewhere with Gohan…_

The previous night, as she lay in bed mulling over the day's events, she'd tried forming a ki ball on her own. '_Focus,__' she told herself, __'Feel the energy in your stomach, picture it in your hands…There!' And sure enough, as had happened earlier that afternoon, a small energy ball formed in her hands. Tiny, but most certainly real. It wasn't fake. No lights, no hidden trick beams, no rigging, it was all real. And her father had lied—no, he was just misinformed. Surely it was a mistake anyone could make, right? Of course right. _

Naturally, as had happened before also, the effort of giving form to her life energy for the second time that day promptly drained Videl of what little strength she'd regained since that afternoon, and she slipped into a deep, dreamless sleep—the best kind for resting.

When the shrill ringing ended, most of the students were either out the door already or halfway down the stairs headed for the exit. She spotted her friend and tutor cramped among the huddled mass of bodies filing out of the room. He turned to look up at her and nodded to her.

Videl began her own descent towards the hallway, but before she got down the first few steps she felt herself yanked roughly to one side.

"Hey! What the—"

"Spill Videl!" came the overly excited whisper of her best friend. "I've already tried Gohan a dozen times, and the boy won't make a peep. What's going on with you two?"

Videl sighed loudly and assured, "Nothing."

Eresa playfully slapped the crime-fighter's shoulder. "Bull, and you know it."

"Listen Eresa," Videl hurried, "I gotta go, I'm—"

"Doing something with Gohan?"

She crossed her arms and turned away, feigning anger.

"Fine," Eresa conceded half-heartedly, "But you can't keep whatever's going on a secret for long!" The last part of her declaration crescendoed into something of a yell as her friend jogged down the steps, two at a time, in search of Gohan.

*****

"Oh ho!" Babidi chortled from his make-shift throne. "Most excellent, _most excellent! I commend you, Kai!"_

The pink god bowed low. "Quite unnecessary, sir. It was nothing."

The wizard nodded. "Very good, now with that brat out of the way, my little garden is free of weeds." He waxed thoughtful, rubbing his chin. "I may not even need to enlist the services of Dabura…"

"Th—the Demon King?!" the South Kai exclaimed, mouth hanging open.

"Yes…" Babidi continued calmly, paying no attention to his servant's outburst. "Since you've so kindly relieved our little speed bump of most of his powers, he hardly poses anything of a threat anymore." He shifted his eyes to the corner of the room. "The time of Majin Buu's resurrection is near." Abandoning his seat and walking over to the dark area he had been staring at, he laid a wrinkled yellow hand on a large glowing pod, muttering, "Soon…"

*****

"One quick stop by Capsule Corp," Gohan assured Videl, "and then we'll be on our way."

She nodded curtly as the skids of her jet copter gently alighted on the sprawling green lawn before the domed building. "I'll wait out here."

"Be right back!" he called over his shoulder, struggling to be heard over the roaring engine, and jogged inside. Once safely behind the closed door and out of Videl's sight, though, he broke into a frantic yell, running down the myriad halls shouting, "Bulma! Trunks! Vegeta!" He hesitated a moment, then called out, "Gohan!" _'That sounds so stupid,' he said to himself, picturing how foolish he must look—it felt so weird!_

"Gohan?" came a familiar voice, and little Trunks poked his purple head out of a side room as the elder boy screeched to a stop. "What's up? You done with Dad already?" He added slyly. "Or did you break the GR again?" He added a snicker.

The human's face twisted in confusion as he struggled to catch his breath. "Huh?" Then he realized, "Oh—this is the human Gohan!"

"Oh!" Trunks apologized, "Sorry—looking for your better half?" He pointed down a few doors. "Try the science lab. Mom's in there, she might know where he is."

Gohan nodded his thanks, and Trunks slipped back into his room. Just as the child had said, the former Saiyan found Bulma stooped over her computer, scrolling through screens of data.

"No…" she mumbled to herself, scratching her chin as she scanned the list before her.

"Working hard?" he called out from his post at the doorjamb; Bulma gave a quick jump of surprise and looked his way, then narrowed her eyes in annoyance.

"What do _you want?" she practically growled. "I told you I'm working as quickly as possible. The least you can do is give me some privacy."_

"Whoa!" Gohan quickly got on the defensive, going so far as to raise his hands in protest. "It's not like that! I'm not the Saiyan Gohan!" Was the other him _that bad?_

The scientist's face quickly lost its angry mien, and she rubbed her temples. "Geez, sorry kid. That double of yours is getting on my last nerve."

"Well," he revealed, "I might be able to take him off of your hands for a while; that is, if you can point me in his direction."

She rolled her eyes. "Where else would he be but the Gravity Room? He and Vegeta found out I upped the maximum gravity level in there, then took off faster than Goten and Trunks did with you yesterday."

*****

"AAUGH!" came a primal cry of mingled pain and fury.

"Not much fun, is it brat?" Vegeta crowed. "I've always wondered just how you managed to regrow these things." He gave a definitive twist to the younger Saiyan's tail as he swung the boy around a few more times before finally sending him flying across the training facility to crash headfirst into the concrete wall. "Yet I don't really understand why you don't get it removed again."

Gohan coughed, flecks of blood spattering the debris-littered floor before him, and his body heaved for a few moments before he regained enough strength to push himself upright. Vegeta proceeded to encircle him, eyeing the boy hungrily. "Besides, since that human-loving Guardian brought back the moon, there's a chance you might cause some damage."

The double scoffed, "What do you care?"

The prince stopped and looked almost thoughtful for a moment, then shrugged. "Not much actually, but enough to take care of _you if anything should happen." He punched a beige panel on the wall nearest the door, and the humming which had filled the room died off as the gravity inside returned to normal. He threw the door open, where he was immediately met by yet another Gohan._

"Is—"

"There," Vegeta answered dully, pointing to the far wall and pushing past the human to the locker room. Gohan slipped over to his injured half, towering over the fallen warrior.

"I know you don't want to see me—"

"Perceptive, aren't you?" he interrupted icily.

"I need you to train with Videl for me again."

The Saiyan's eyes widened slightly. "Not avoiding her, are you? Don't you think she might get a little suspicious if you bow out on her again?"

The human smirked back. "Not if you're not transformed. Besides, don't pretend you don't _want to spend time with her. You __are me after all."_

Gohan's eyes narrowed into slits. "Why should I?" he mused. "Where are _you off to?"_

"Up to the lookout, to talk to Piccolo."

"So take the girl."

He glanced at the alien sideways. "Unless you _want her to learn everything, I can't. I'm going up to talk to him about our…situation."_

Saiyan Gohan summoned up the rest of his strength to push himself onto his feet, then turned and began walking out the door, tossing back nonchalantly. "So tell her."

"Tell her?" he repeated, shocked at the alien's brazenness. "Everything?"

"Doesn't matter to me, I'm not the human." He began the trek to the showers to clean.

"But—wait!" Gohan shot into the hall after himself. "I can't just…tell her. Surely you can't _want me to tell her." He grabbed Gohan's arm, and the alien turned to meet his double's gaze, feeling as if he was staring into a mirror. "You __don't want me to. You don't want her to know the truth any more than I do; you fear the consequences just as much as me."_

The Saiyan scoffed, and the human released him, continuing with a challenge. "Fine. Do whatever you want. If you _can tell her, if you have the guts to tell the truth, do it. I'm gone." He stepped away and darted down the hall to the back entrance, bound for Kami's Lookout._

*****

"Quick my foot," Videl growled under her breath. It had been over ten minutes since Gohan had entered the building, and she was quickly becoming irked. "What is he _doing?"_

Just as she was contemplating going in after the boy, he popped out and dashed back to the copter, flinging open the door as he jumped in beside her. "Took you long enough."

"Let's go," he urged, and she lifted the vehicle into the air. 

"Where to?"

He smiled knowingly. "My house. There's a meadow a few miles behind it, nice and secluded: prefect for learning how to fly."

"Oh?"

He nodded. "It's where I learned."

"Fine by me then." The two swiftly ascended into the puffy whiteness above the ground and, upon reaching the appropriate height, Videl fired the engines which whined under the strain and they were off. 

As the earth passed in a blur below them, she initiated a conversation. "So…how close _are you two?"_

"Huh? Who?"

"You and the Gold Fighter."

Great. He'd get that stupid human half of his for sticking him in an awkward situation like this. "Me and him? Uh… pretty close, not so much lately."

"Known each other for a while?"

He allowed a hesitant nod. "Yeah…"

"Then…tell me about him."

Crap. How did he _know she was going to ask that? Now he had to tell, to tell and yet not reveal __too much. As much as he hated to admit it, that other him was right: he __didn't want to tell her everything. Even harder to admit, though, was the reason._

He understood why the human Gohan was attracted to Videl: it was nature. Then, why was he—now the most powerful Saiyan in the universe—having the same feelings? Love was a weakness, not to be desired by a dutiful warrior. Thinking back to the previous day, he remembered breaking down in front of her—weak!

But to her, he was merely Gohan, normal human Gohan. Wait…no, to her _he was the Gold Fighter… He spoke._

"The Gold Fighter is… not human. He is from earth, but not human."

A pause. "Is he…android?" She remembered those attacks all those years earlier; people using blasts, possibly energy blasts. She'd seen some of the tapes…was it possible?

"No, not android." Videl sighed inwardly with relief, still confused though. 

"He is Saiyan." The words were coming with more difficulty, but he couldn't stop now. "A warrior race from a planet which no longer exists. He was born on Earth. He grew up on Earth. He is an earthling, just not human."

Sure, she had had her suspicions, but not _this, nowhere__ near this. "Are..." she chose her words carefully and asked with typical human naivety, "Are Saiyans good or…bad?" _

Gohan smirked but kept his eyes focused straight ahead, not daring to look his interrogator in the face for fear he'd lose his nerve. "Some are 'good,' others 'bad.'"

She rephrased her question. "Is the Gold Fighter good, or bad?"

The fighter refrained from answering her directly. "I…understand that your father maintains sole possession of the only tape recording of the Cell Games from seven years ago."

Videl, who had throughout the entire conversation thus far kept her eyes focused on the sky in front of her, unconsciously released control of the copter, sending the two plummeting to earth. After a brief moment of shock she caught herself and righted the vehicle, setting it back on its correct path. Gohan was unfazed by the event.

"H-How did you know that?! It's never been made public!"

He smiled secretively. "Little bird told me."

She decided not to pursue—he'd surprised her too much already. Let him keep his little secrets; she was after the big ones. "What does _that have to do with my question?"_

Once again, he successfully parried. "Have you ever watched it? Has he ever _let you?"_

She pondered the question, zoning out. Now that she thought about it, she'd never actually watched the _whole tape, just all the important parts with her father and Cell; it was a long tape, who __would want to see the whole thing? She shook her head in response to his question._

"Go home tonight, watch it," he stated finally. "Then tomorrow, ask me your question again." She eyed him strangely, and for the first time during their ride, he turned to look at her. "I expect you'll have a few new ones."

And that, apparently, was the end of the conversation, as the next few minutes were allowed to pass in silence, neither one continuing to speak, until the Saiyan pointed out a spot far below and instructed Videl to land there. She allowed the copter to settle down in the middle of a meadow.

"Ready?" he asked as she hopped nimbly from the pilot's seat onto the soft grass, and she gasped. It was so picturesque that she would have sworn all the scenery was painted on had she not been standing there in person. The "meadow" seemed more of a huge field, stretching for miles in all directions, interrupted here and there by a gentle sloping hill, jutting moss-covered rock, or pond.

"Beautiful…" she murmured, then snapped back to attention when she remembered the company. "Yeah, ready."

He gestured to a patch of inviting grass behind them. "Have a seat." She did so, and he continued, following suit. "I guess we'll continue where you left off yesterday with the Gold Fighter."

*****

"Sensed you coming," the veteran fighter announced as he silently traversed the lookout, headed towards his former pupil in a stately manner. He halted when he got within a few feet. "Among sensing…_other things." _

Gohan frowned. "Then, you know." Piccolo nodded grimly. "Well, no sense putting it off then, what's _your take on the situation? It's—everyday we're apart…it feels like we'll never rejoin. But that's not what really worries me." He tilted his gaze to the tiled floor below him._

"What _does worry you?"_

"I… don't think I want to. Rejoin that is." The last part dropped to a whisper, as if ashamed.

Piccolo's eyes grew wide with anxiety. "What?"

Gohan attempted a hasty explanation. "He's…not me. I can't accept that anything like _that was ever a part of me." He began to pace. "He's selfish, cocky, arrogant, rude—"_

"Saiyan."

"He's Saiyan, like Vegeta's a Saiyan. I'd always hoped I'd be more like… my dad." He halted in mid-stride as Piccolo advanced on him, laying a hand gently on the human's shoulder.

"Gohan, your father is special, unique, one of a kind. But understand, he wasn't always that way. You can't deny your nature any more than Goku could."

The boy wavered, doubt still hanging like a phantom over his brow. "Still…"

"Relax, kid," the Namek assured Gohan. _'He'll do what's need when it's needed,' he assured himself. __'He always has.'_

Across the lookout, a small green man in white robes that grazed the ground waddled out a door, and, upon seeing Gohan, broke into a grin and jogged as best he could over to the human. "Gohan!"

The boy was jerked from his thoughts at the sound of his name and directed his attentions to its source. His eyes brightened a bit at seeing his old friend, and he allowed a small grin to grace his face. "Dende! It's great to see you!" The two wrapped each other in a brotherly hug, but soon the smaller Namek pulled back, sensing something wrong.

"Gohan…what…?" He looked over to Piccolo, whose eyes were narrowed in anger, finding the floor quite interesting at the moment. "Piccolo…he doesn't…"

"I know," the elder Namek stated gruffly. "We think it happened yesterday morning."

Dende nodded, a bit slowly and stiffly, then turned his attentions back to Gohan. "If _you're here… part of you…then where…?"_

The human joined in, "Staying at Capsule Corp., with Bulma and Vegeta."

Piccolo smiled grimly in spite of the gravity of the situation. "I'll bet Vegeta's loving this, then. Finally has a 'worthy opponent.'"

"Well," Dende stepped back, "shall we put our heads together and see what we can do about this situation?"

*****

Videl sat hunched over kneeling in her pajamas, nearly choking on the stale ancient air which pervaded the attic; her hands were covered in a fine dust which clung to practically everything in the room. She paused her search for a brief moment, ears straining to detect footsteps or talking in the house below.

Nothing.

But, of course, she shouldn't have expected otherwise. Her father, once out, slept like the dead, and was no easier to awaken save of his own free will. Few of the servants actually stayed in the mansion itself, opting to commute from the suburbs or other areas of town. These factors worked together to make Videl's midnight mission a success.

She leaned back onto her feet, easing her body into a standing position, then began to slowly creep over to a tall file cabinet, opening it ever so carefully. Rusty from years of non-use, the appliance squeaked loudly if she pulled too quickly, so she was forced to do the deed painfully slowly.

Thumbing through the various files, she reached a particularly thick one labeled, in a scrawling hand, "TOP SECRET—HERCULE'S EYES ONLY."

"My dad, the master of subtlety," Videl whispered sarcastically, and pulled a black video tape from the folder.

Once safely back inside her own room, she deftly shut and locked the door, ensuring once more that the entire household was still asleep.

"Alright, Son Gohan, what exactly did you want me to see?" Within moments, the black screen before her came to life, revealing a desolate rocky field. _The battlefield. Gone was the cement stadium in which the Cell Games had taken place—apparently this segment of video had started right after her father's first fight with the monster._

The screen was cocked at an odd angle—Videl suspected it had been tipped over when the reporters had abandoned it—but after a moment, the unmistakable image of a tall, golden-haired man walked into view of the camera. The angle was corrected (so there _were still some reporters there!) and zoomed into the man's face._

At first glance, she was certain it was the Gold Fighter; however, after a moment's scrutiny she discarded this view. The man before her was obviously older, an experienced fighter; the real Gold Fighter had to be about her own age.

The image panned out, revealing a fairly large group of people behind the man with the golden hair, then zoomed back in on each one in turn.

Besides the main fighter, there was one other whose locks seemed to radiate that peculiar golden hue the Gold Fighter possessed. He was a small boy, probably not much older than she had been at the time, and he wore baggy clothes with a long white cape draped over his thin shoulders that looked altogether too large for his slender frame. On his face, though, was etched the same expression of worry and resolve as the others'. The camera moved on to another face—a lavender haired boy who looked eerily familiar—but her attentions remained back on the previous contender.

The screen turned snowy halfway through the line-up—here was where all footage ended and personal testimonies began. Why had Gohan wanted her to watch the tape? All of the other fighters were older men (well, there was one short guy she was _pretty sure was an older man, but not positive) and here, out in the middle of a battlefield during the most significant world event of the century, was a kid her age…_

Wait—she stopped the tape—she'd done the math right, he _would be her age now. That had to be why he'd wanted her to watch the tape; but why had he told her the Gold Fighter's heritage? Why had he wanted her to know? Whatever his motives, Gohan would certainly have a few more questions from her._

Switching off the TV, she suddenly felt a wave of exhaustion wash over her entire being, unstoppable as a true ocean wave. Apparently Gohan, in reparation for missing the previous day's lesson, had felt the need to really put her though her paces, having her form not one, but _two ki balls, one in each hand, at the same time! After that "warm-up," they'd entertained a game of tag, or rather chase, since Videl was doing all the work trying to catch the boy—he was worse than the Gold Fighter! Thankfully this had been the __last exercise of the day as she'd had practically __no energy left and he'd had to fly her home himself._

Not that she'd minded.

Uh…that is, she corrected herself, in her state of exhaustion how _could she have objected to the boy's gesture?_

She pulled the covers up around her body and gently closed her eyes, snuggling deep under the comforter and drawing in deep, even breaths. Tomorrow was Saturday—no school and two whole free days. Would she be training? Most likely. With the Gold Fighter?

…

The smile on her face faded as she took on an expression of reflection, eyes still closed. Yes, she was nearly positive now that the boy in the video was a younger version of the Gold Fighter, though she never would have thought to look _there for it. Sure, now that Gohan reminded her, she remembered a bit of information in the news all those years ago, a small clip about the strange group of crazies who thought they could take on Cell all by themselves—with a light show! But then, hardly anything about them had been documented._

No names, the video the only footage of their exploits. They merely showed up, fought, were presumably beaten…disappeared.

That's it, tomorrow she'd… but the thought was lost as dreams crept into Videl's sleep deprived mind and she lost consciousness.

*****

"No," Gohan stated flatly, hardly looking up from his plate of pancakes.

"Aww! B-but Gohan!" his younger brother lamented loudly, "I wanna play with Trunks! C'mon, it's Saturday! You and the other Gohan get to play with Vid—"

"_Shh!" Gohan swiftly clapped a palm over the demi-Saiyan's babbling mouth, casting a furtive glance into the kitchen, where his mother was washing dishes. "You want Mom to hear?" he hissed. His mother __hadn't heard. "Fine…" he allowed, "I have to go chat with Bulma anyway. But—" he added an afterthought, "__after I finish breakfast."_

Goten's eyes lit up with joy, and his brother thought for a moment—only a moment—he saw a tiny yellow flame of energy lick at the tip of one of the child's locks. The boy scampered away merrily, leaving Gohan to his meal.

"So," came his mother's voice as she waltzed into the dining area a few moments later with a dishtowel in her grip, drying her hands. "How're the lessons coming? I haven't seen any drop in your grades."

Gohan spooned a helping of oatmeal into his mouth after he'd finished off the pancakes. "Pretty well so far. We'll be ready for an attempt at flight soon." He downed his juice in one swift gulp, and his mother took the cup from her son, smiling.

"I'm glad you're enjoying this."

The boy looked confused for a moment, "Well of course I'm en—IT'S NOT LIKE THAT!"

Chichi just giggled and turned back into the kitchen. "Taking Goten to Capsule Corp?" she asked, changing the subject for her son.

"Yeah," he glanced into the living room. "He's getting ready."

She nodded, her back to him, and placed the cup in the soapy sink. "Let Bulma know that if she ever wants to get rid of Trunks for a day, I've always got a son who'd love to have him over."

At this propitious moment, an orange and blue tornado arrived at Gohan's feet. 

"Speak of the devil," Chichi commented.

Goten began bouncing up and down, tugging on his brother's pants leg. "Is it time? Are you done yet? Can we go now?"

The human sighed. "After you." _'He's next. I'm definitely going to teach him to fly next.'_

*****

"You told her _what?!"_

"Hey, you said it was up to me! If _you hadn't put me in that position—"_

"I hardly expected you to tell her _that! You could have told her anything, told her—"_

"I told her the _truth! About __me, not you, so—" _

"You _are me!"_

"NO I'M NOT!" The room took on a dead silence, and the two warriors glared daggers at each other, both expressions dripping with disgust. Not ten minutes had passed since the human had arrived, and already they were at each other's throats.

Though Gohan was not one to be easily angered, when he was, it was an awesome sight. Much like a hurricane or volcano is an awesome sight—one best viewed from afar.

Breathing heavily, human Gohan began to rub his temples, eyes squeezed shut in concentration. "_You told her, that's…__your responsibility…I accept that. I—I've got to go meet with Videl." He began to walk away, sights set on the front door. "It's you who has to live with her reactions to you now. But—" He paused, one hand on the doorjamb, and turned his head to peer out of the corner of one eye. "You tell her __nothing about me. We are separate, as you say. To her, you are the alien Gold Fighter, not Gohan. Not me. Keep it that way."_

The Saiyan didn't miss the implied, "Or else." As his other half abandoned him, he yelled out, "It was my choice!" More to assure himself, though. Now he was alone.

--End Chapter 7--

Post-Chapter Notes: Well? Is it getting better? Lemme know! Constructive criticism is welcome, and I expect I'll get some, as it has been _quite some time since I saw the Cell Games. Talk about artistic license, forgive me! As it is, I've blended about three other stories into this one, and I almost did the same with a fourth, but then decided better. That fourth one is now up, and if you want to check it out, it's __Dark Shift. Like Gohan/Videl pairings? Of course you do! Like angst? Well, if you don't then you should! Check it out, and with this chapter up, I'll soon be updating that one. For now, review!--sage_


	8. Things Fall Apart

Author's Notes: I want to take a moment here to thank all of you who have read and reviewed this story—it's what keeps it going! I'll tell the truth, I love writing this story, and I'd probably continue it even if _no one reviewed, but it sure does feel good to come home and see all these little reviews from readers who liked the story! Thanks again to everyone who's stuck with me so far, and all I can say is hang on, there's more where this came from! Now, on to the story!_

_Last time on It's a Start:_

"Oh ho!" Babidi chortled from his make-shift throne. "Most excellent, _most excellent! I commend you, Kai!"_

*****

As the earth passed in a blur below them, she initiated a conversation. "So…how close _are you two?"_

*****

Gohan frowned. "Then, you know." Piccolo nodded grimly. "Well, no sense putting it off then, what's _your take on the situation? It's—everyday we're apart…it feels like we'll never rejoin. But that's not what really worries me." He tilted his gaze to the tiled floor below him._

*****

The Saiyan didn't miss the implied, "Or else." As his other half abandoned him, he yelled out, "It was my choice!" More to assure himself, though. Now he was alone.

_Chapter Eight: Things Fall Apart_

__

__

Videl awoke rather early for a Saturday morning, having slept fitfully through the night, waking up every hour or so. Perhaps it was her eagerness at speaking with Gohan about the Cell video. Perhaps it was indigestion. Whatever the reason, she was quite awake now.

She shifted over and propped herself up on one arm, gazing at the alarm clock which sat quietly on her bedside table. "Just past 8… and I'm not supposed to meet him for another couple of hours…"

She tossed aside the covers and padded across the soft carpet to her closet, drawing out the white tank she trained in and slipping it on over a pink shirt. Videl doubted very much she could wait until the time the two had agreed upon the previous afternoon. Pulling on some shoes, she mulled over her options. She could call him, ask to meet earlier. _'Why?' he would ask. A blush crept across her cheeks at the imaginary conversation. No… it would seem forward if she asked that._

Her thoughts touched then on another possibility: she _could go directly to the source, bypassing Gohan altogether. However, this solution seemed even more unthinkable than the last. What would Gohan think when he found out? An even more immediate concern: What would the Gold Fighter think if she just came waltzing into… wait, where did he live? How would she even find him?_

This question might be a bit difficult to answer, but not impossible. She might not even have to let Gohan know of her intentions. She could see if Mrs. Br—_Bulma knew. After all, that day on the highway, it had been to Capsule Corp that Gohan and the Gold Fighter had flown. Absentmindedly, she wondered just __why they had needed to go there in the first place. Nothing had been wrong that __she had seen._

She pushed the thought away and nodded to herself, shoving all worries about consequences and embarrassment from her mind. Curiosity was in control now, and she wasn't usually one to be easily put off with half-truths. She picked up a small pill from the bedside table: her capsule copter. Clutching it tightly, she dashed up to the roof, and within twenty minutes, she was _re-capsuling the vehicle on the front lawn of the Briefs' home. It was actually the first time she'd made the trip without Gohan either with her or waiting for her. Without him, she felt like she had no business being at the building, and naturally felt a bit out of place. Hesitantly, she rang the front doorbell._

A sudden thought entered her panicked mind. _'What if they're asleep?!' But her finger had already brushed the buzzer, and she jerked it back as if electrocuted. Though she didn't really value other people's opinions of what was and wasn't proper from the social perspective, the faux-pas of rudely awakening the powerful Briefs family early on a weekend would have scarred her for life—they were more famous than her father, and that was saying something._

Thankfully for Videl, though, the woman who answered the door was not in pajamas. On the contrary, she looked as if she hadn't gotten any sleep all night. "…Mrs Briefs?" Videl hazarded.

She smiled sleepily, eyes halfway closed, and stifled a great yawn. "Hullo Videl. Please, come in…" She slowly stepped aside, allowing the girl to enter.

"I was wondering… if you knew…" A small snore sounded from behind her—the scientist was still standing at the door, ushering her in, eyes tightly shut. "Mrs. Briefs are…are you ok?" She gently laid a hand on the woman's shoulder, and Bulma shot awake, quickly looking around, then rubbed her eyes and shook her head to clear it.

"Sorry—I was up all night…working on a … on a project."

Making conversation to keep her hostess awake, Videl inquired, "I take it that it didn't go well?"

Bulma sighed and looked longingly at the cushiony chairs in the lounge. "No…and I think that it may be beyond my scope to handle." She rubbed her eyes again. "Did you say you needed something, Videl?"

Remembering then, she answered, "Oh, yes, actually, I was wondering if you knew where the…Gold Fighter was staying."

Bulma's eyes widened a bit—was Gohan expecting her? She hesitated, "He's…here. He lives here." Hearing a door open and close behind her, she spotted her son heading for the kitchen with Goten trailing. Looking over Videl's shoulder, she called out to him, "Trunks, hon—could you and Goten go get the _Gold Fighter_?" She stressed the name and pointed to the crime fighter before her, adding, "Videl needs to see him."

The demi-Saiyan glanced from Videl to his mother, then his eyes widened as well as realization dawned on him, "Oh…" he mouthed, then snatched Goten away, in search of the Saiyan. Bulma breathed a silent sigh of relief that the boys hadn't begun to train just yet; explaining away two mini-gold fighters was _not_ on her list of fun things to do.

The scientist took the chance to excuse herself before the fireworks started between Gohan and Videl, professing her pressing appointment with a blanket and pillow, and left the girl to her thoughts.

_Here_? He lived at _Capsule Corp_? Videl remembered the special that had aired a few months before on the history of Capsule Corp and its owners—only the Briefs family lived there, though; there had never been any documentation of _another_ occupant.

But then, she supposed, they _wouldn't _document an alien, would they? As her thoughts tended towards aliens, though, the object of them crossed the threshold into the room.

His hair was as brilliantly gold as ever, his eyes that same pale blue, his face ever expressionless. As he neared, she felt her legs get weak and slid into the chair situated behind her. He stopped a few feet from her and looked down, muscles tense.

"I guess this means…he told you." She allowed a small nod; either the Gold Fighter and Gohan had discussed Gohan's telling Videl, or he had found out by some other means that she knew the truth. "Then I also guess that this means you have some questions."

Her eyes fluttered a bit, and she awoke as if from a trance, snapping to life. "It was you, wasn't it? In the tape?"

He smiled. "So you _did_ watch the tape?" The silence broken, he plopped onto the couch opposite Videl. "Knew you'd notice that. Very perceptive."

"Then…the man with the golden hair…" She let the comment hang in the stagnant air between them.

"My father…" he answered her unasked question. "_Was_ my father…"

"W-was?"

"He died… in the fight."

She made a move to apologize profusely—was this why he seemed so sad at times?—but he stopped her before she could get out the words. "Just ask the questions."

She bit her lip, hesitating in order to be sure she phrased her question correctly. "What's… the truth?"

Whoa. This one threw Gohan off. Truth? Did anyone deal in that anymore? 

"What is the truth—about you?" She stared into his unblinking eyes, searching for an answer, and after a moment's thought, he responded.

Pushing himself up, he lifted his shirt a bit and gently unwound the tail which had been wrapped about him like a belt, safely hidden from sight. He held it in his hands as if for show, and it took a moment for Videl to register just what she was seeing. When she _did_, though, a short quick gasp issued forth from her lips.

He looked down at it, then up at her. "A tail. Real." He released it, and her eyes followed the appendage as he wound and unwound it, being sure to thoroughly dispel any doubt she might have had as to its authenticity. "Saiyans are born with them, but they can be removed. Sometimes they grow back, sometimes they don't. They enhance strength, agility, and help maintain balance." He paused his explication on tails, and she looked up from it. "The truth?" He leaned over her, tall and menacing, their faces mere inches apart. "Answer _me_ a question first." Hesitantly, she nodded, feeling suddenly very small and weak.

"Do I scare you?" he whispered softly, then leaned back to let her mull the question over.

"N-no," she replied quickly, startled.

He narrowed his eyes and turned away. "If you can't tell the truth, then why should I?"

"Wait!" She leaned forward, one hand extended. "I wasn't lying—you don't scare me." He halted. "If I felt threatened by you, if I was scared, I wouldn't have come here." Standing, she added, "In fact, I'm probably going to miss my flying lesson with Gohan by coming to see you."

Gohan gave a short ironic laugh. "You already _are_ missing it."

"What?"

"Gohan already came by, earlier, to drop his brother off I believe. Then he left, I assume to find you."

"We—we weren't supposed to meet until ten…"

The alien shrugged and moved back towards the couch he'd recently abandoned. "You want the truth." She nodded shortly. Now they were getting somewhere. "That can encompass so much, though." He ticked off on his fingers, "You know I am not human, you know I can use energy, you now know that I was at the Cell Games, but—" he interrupted his listing. "I have a feeling that's not the type of truth you wanted from me."

She visibly stiffened. "You think I don't want to know the truth about you?"

He swiftly shifted his gaze to look at her; no, not _at _her, _through _her, with those pale, soulless eyes that penetrated into her soul and saw her motives.

"You want…" He perked up, "Gohan."

"I wa—_WHAT_?!"

"No, no!" He stammered, quickly glancing behind her into the entryway. "He's here, Gohan." The correction came too late, though, as all the blood had rushed to her face, flushing Videl's cheeks with a vibrant red hue.

"Guess this question session's over. We'll have to continue our talk later."

Just then the human boy bounded into the room. "Videl!"

"Y-yes?" She didn't face him just yet, still trying to stall for time to let her face cool down. Taking a deep breath, she turned. "What?"

"I—you weren't at your house."

"You were early."

"Well—" At this point the human realized who their audience was. "Were you talking to him?"

She was slightly taken aback; why was Gohan so defensive? He'd run into the room, voice panicked, when there was no indication that anything was wrong. "Yes, as a matter of fact we were." She crossed her arms stubbornly and glared at her friend, and the way he shifted his gaze to the Gold Fighter did not pass unnoticed.

"Videl," came a soft voice from behind, "I think it's time for your lesson with…_Gohan_." He gave her a little push in the human's direction. "We can talk later, go." He shooed her and his double away, with Videl objecting all the way to the door.

*****

"I'm _not_ getting out."

"Videl, you're acting stup—"

"No," she interrupted violently, "_You're_ acting stupid. Like a selfish little kid who won't let me be with anyone but him. You won't let me talk to the Gold Fighter, you won't answer my questions yourself, tell me, what _can_ I do?"

"I said—look," he ended, exasperated, "Let's just forget what happened."

Videl's mouth fell open in shock. "'_Forget it_'? Gohan, this isn't something you just _forget_. You've got some serious issues with the Gold Fighter, it's obvious, and it's starting to affect _our_…" She blushed in spite of her anger, "_our_ friendship." 

"Videl…" Gohan tapered off, softening. "Videl, I just…you don't _know_ him—"

"You won't let me know him!"

"No! _I_ know him, I understand him in ways you can't."

"_What_? What don't I understand?"

He waved her off. "'_There are more things on heaven and earth, Horat_—'"

"Don't quote Shakespeare, answer me!" It was a good thing Gohan had brought them out into the fields around his home again; the two would have been arrested for disturbing the peace, so loud was the argument. "For once—for once give me a _straight answer_!" This recent attack caused a wave of tears to knock at her eyes, straining to be let out. Her blue eyes were focused on him, quivering with unleashed fury and frustration.

Gohan returned her gaze, his own eyes betraying his inner turmoil. Oh… he wanted _so _badly to answer her, to tell her the truth…more than ever before. His soul willed him to form the words, but still he hesitated. Never had he been so torn.

"I…Videl…" He wanted to reach out and touch her, to be sure that she was still there and that _something_ in his world was still constant and unchanging, still there for him. "I can't tell you." The words came out, but he didn't hear them, he was far away from the mangled and choked statement, already wanting to take it back. He actually tried vainly to snatch back the words, but Videl shrunk back into the copter, eyes narrowed.

"I'm going now Gohan." She turned her eyes to face ahead so that she didn't have to look at him, his hand still outstretched like a child's. Swinging her legs back inside the jet copter, she announced calmly and clearly, "Please…please don't follow me, and don't try to see me again." Reaching up to pull the hatch shut, she added, "I won't be taking lessons from you anymore."

As she fired the engines and rose into the sky, he willed his body to move, to object, to not let her leave, but he stood there, frozen by her words, her cold words. If she had told him to stay there for all eternity, there would have been nothing he could do but stay there and obey.

She was no more than a dot in the sky before Gohan regained his faculties. Slumping to the ground, he felt waves of anguish and anger beating his body. "No…no…" It wasn't fair; it was all the Saiyan's fault! The alien was no part of him, not any longer. He was merely another obstacle for Gohan to overcome.

_'It's not fair_,_' _he repeated over and over inside his mind. The Saiyan…the Saiyan could still be with her. The Saiyan could change identities with a single burst of energy.

The Saiyan, the Saiyan, the Saiyan….he'd taken Videl. The only reason she liked him was because he fascinated her; he wasn't Gohan—or so she thought.

The gears in the human's head were turning at full-tilt. He knew, human that he was now, that he was no match for Goten and Trunks, much less a full-blooded Saiyan male. He would have to hurt him in the heart, the pride, where a Saiyan was most vulnerable.

*****

She couldn't understand it, couldn't comprehend it, couldn't _fathom_ it. He'd been so close to telling her, but something had held him back—what?

He'd said she didn't understand the Gold Fighter like he did, that there was something else to the alien that only _he_ knew…

"He was right…" came a soft voice from behind her, and she gasped, whipping her head around to see the Gold Fighter. "You _don't_ know me like _he_ knows me."

She caught her breath after the initial shock passed. "Y—you saw that?" She felt a little embarrassed that he'd seen her outburst.

"Land here. Yes, I slipped in without his noticing." Videl complied without question, and he quickly scanned the area below the copter, deeming it sufficiently devoid of prying humans. "He's going to hate me when he finds out I did this."

"A bit too late for that, don't you think?"

He gave a short nod of agreement. "Touché." 

As the skids settled onto the ground, she started, "Not that I'm complaining, but why were you spying on us, and why did you scare the crap out of me just now by popping up in there?"

Instead of answering, he slid out of the craft onto the lush grass. They were far enough away from town to ensure some semblance of privacy, and a warm breeze played across the veldt. Videl followed suit, capsuling her vehicle. 

Still staring out onto the plain, he stated, "It's not supposed to be this way, you know. I shouldn't even be here, talking to you."

"Why not?"

"Not natural. I shouldn't feel this way. Warriors _don't_." He turned to face her. "And without this feeling, I wouldn't be here."

The mask of sternness he usually wore was gone; this being was different from the one she'd talked to earlier—more …vulnerable. "Then…why _are_ you here, if you're not supposed to be?"

A small smile crept up onto his lips, and his eyes didn't seem so empty right now. "Because…you're not afraid of me, so I want you to have something."

She cocked one eyebrow incredulously. "You want to…_give_ me something? Just because I said I wasn't afraid of you?"

He nodded. "You don't seem to think it's a big deal, but I know from experience, it is. I couldn't give it to you before, but I think you're ready." He took a few tentative steps back, golden hair glinting in the noon-day sun. "Videl—"

"_NO!_" A figure streaked down from the sky above and slammed into the fighter, creating a blast of wind which knocked Videl roughly to the ground. The next moment a blur of punches and kicks erupted before her.

A loud grunt, and a fighter was knocked to the ground. "_Gohan_?!" In a burst of speed, though, the human was back in the fray, locked in battle with the alien again. Videl stepped back quickly once more as, this time, the Gold Fighter landed before her, panting. 

_'I don't know who I'm supposed to be rooting for...'_

Gohan swiftly planted himself on the Gold Fighter's chest, hands at the alien's throat. "You would have destroyed me," he snarled.

"You—can't—keep—a secret—forever…" the Saiyan choked out.

Videl's eyes widened at the scene of violence. "No, Gohan! Get _off_ him!" She flung herself at the human, who had to release the alien in order to hold her off. Grabbing her hands, he stared into her wild eyes.

"You don't know _what_ he is…" he hissed. "I'm _protecting_ you!"

"So was I," growled the Saiyan. "I was going to tell her." Gohan turned his malevolent stare back to his victim.

"_Now_ who's impulsive?" 

"You shouldn't have stopped me," he grunted, the human still perched on his chest. "I saw you back there. Saw how _much_ you struggled to keep your secret. Saw you nearly break. You're too _weak_ to handle it."

Gohan's eyes flashed, a violent storm brewing in them. "You said you wouldn't. We had an agreement. _You _are _you_,_ I_ am_ me. _That's how it is now."

"_Now_? How it is _now_? Haven't you felt it's _always_ been that way? You were always embarrassed, fearful of me even. Always denied me. Why? You can't control what you are, why hide it?" He flared his ki and stood to his full height, pushing the human off, who tumbled to the ground, still grasping Videl's wrists to fend her off. This was quite unnecessary now, though; she hadn't made a single movement since the two warriors had halted their physical battle and started the verbal one. "It's hard; I won't hide it. Not from her, at least. That, too, is unnatural."

His aura faded in brilliance, and the human despaired as the Saiyan's energy level plummeted. Then, as if a bright candle had been snuffed out, another Gohan stood where the Gold Fighter had been a split-second before.

"You promised…" the human whispered, defeated.

Saiyan Gohan shook his head. "No…I didn't."

*****

"But, sir, I don't understand it—how could a mere Earthling hold so much sway in this war? Why not one of the Kais, or even a demon?"

The Supreme Kai shook his head. "I don't know, it could be mere chance, though I doubt that. I suspect that it was a combination of factors which led to the birth of a pure-hearted mortal. After all, doesn't it seem fitting for a mortal to be the savior of a mortal universe?"

The pink servant shrugged. "I suppose it does make some sense…but to put that much power within the grasp of a mortal…"

"Come now, Kibito, Gohan has handled this burden very well so far—"

"So far, and now he is under Babidi's control!"

"_No. He is __not under the wizard's control. He __can't be under his control—he has a pure heart."_

Kibito sighed. "Then what do you intend to do about Babidi?"

"The South Kai has turned. The wizard now has the backing of an entire quadrant, billions upon countless billions of beings behind him, at his beck-and-call." He turned to his servant.

"You don't need to remind me sir."

"No, that's not what I'm saying, Kibito. He had all this backing, and still he sought the Kai's aid to take care of Son Gohan…This Saiyan obviously poses some considerable threat to Babidi."

"Then…" he paused in thought. "What can we do?"

"We will go to Earth and work from there. We'll be both closer to Babidi and his actions as well as able to take care of this dilemma with Gohan."

"You—you mean to take an active part in this conflict?!"

"Yes, just as we did those many years ago."

"But, sir, it was different then; shouldn't the Supreme Kai be neutral in a matter such as this?"

"Kibito, I care too much for this universe and its inhabitants to see it rendered lifeless by Buu. We will go to Earth and set things right."

The Kai's mind having been made up, the servant gave in and followed his master's will.

_On Kaim's Lookout…_

__

Piccolo's eyes shot open, and his breathing halted as sweat began to bead across his forehead. Somewhere…very near…a strange ki signature. No—it wasn't that strange…but somehow familiar. He'd felt it somewhere before, but never had a ki simply popped up; you could always feel someone approaching if you knew how to look for it.

The door to the chamber in which he had been meditating flew open, the young Guardian of Earth behind it.

"Piccolo—"

"I know, I feel it, too." He closed his eyes and tried to pinpoint it. It was even closer than he'd suspected! "In front of the temple." Mr. Popo at their heels, the Nameks fled from the inner room in search of the energy. "There are two, one much greater than the other' not human…" Piccolo continued as they rounded a corner. "They—"

The Supreme Kai smiled. Not cheerily, but with a knowing smile, surpassing all others present. The former and present guardians halted dead in their tracks, gaping at the beings they were faced with.

"Now…" began the Kai. "Which one of you would be this planet's Guardian?"

*****

"The South Kai? But…that's not possible—the Kai's can't be bought!"

"And yet he _has been; he always __was the most dissatisfied of the lesser-kais, envious especially of the North Kai, whose quadrant produced such great fighters as yourself, the one you call Goku, and, the one on whose behalf I have come, his son Gohan."_

There was a sharp intake of breath from the elder Namek, and the god smiled. "I take it you know the boy." 

Piccolo nodded stiffly. "Since he was just a little kid… he's very important to me."

"Well," the Kai continued, "apparently he is also very important to the wizard whom I spoke of, Babidi. With the aid of the South Kai, he has—"

"So that's…" Piccolo interrupted, eyes wide. "_He did this to Gohan?"_

"Then—you already know of the boy's situation?" There was no small amount of surprise in the god's voice. "Good, that will make this much easier."

"You're going to fix him?"

"If by 'fix' you mean return him to his normal state, I can't do that. Or, I should say, I _won't."_

"'Won't'?!" Dende interjected, "You're the Supreme Kai!" If this wizard is as powerful as you say he is, then we're going to need all the help we can get."

The Kai shook his head gravely. "No, Babidi's power can _only be matched by Gohan. Without him, your planet doesn't stand a chance in this world. And that is precisely why he has done this to the boy. Separated in this manner, Gohan has lost both his power and will to save not only __this world, but all the others in the universe. Babidi will not stop here."_

"Then—why won't you do something? What good will this knowledge do us?"

"Because, I _can't do anything, not without killing Gohan. If he does not want to rejoin, if both of his halves do not agree, then the process of fusing them together will destroy him."_

"F—fusing them?" Piccolo queried.

"Yes, a technique perfected by the Kais. Kibito—" He turned to his servant and held out one hand expectantly. The pink being reached gently into his tunic and removed a small box, opening it and removing a pair of small earrings, a tiny ball hanging from each one. "Each half must fasten one of these on the ear opposite from the other. One on the right, one on the left. The two will immediately be drawn together and become one being—more powerful than either of the two it was formed from. It is not used very often, though, on account of its one major side effect—the fusion is permanent."

"Great…" Dende lamented. "I don't think _either one will agree to rejoin. Not from what the human one was telling us."_

"Yes, both the human and the Saiyan have been apart for far too long; so long, that they have ceased viewing themselves as parts of a single entity that belong together. I fear I have waited too long, but I had to at least try."

"Is he…" Piccolo began. "Is he the only one who can help?" 

The god nodded. "There is no other fighter with the power to defeat Babidi's monster, Buu. If he should fail or refuse to rejoin, or if one of his halves should die…there are no second chances. It is either he or no one."

The elder Namek paused a moment, searching for a solution. "I'll speak with him. That's all we _can do, since you say we cannot force them. But if that fails… what about Goku?"_

"I have already considered that alternative," the Kai assured him. "But Gohan is still stronger than his father, even after all this time. _He may not know it, but I have seen for myself his vast untapped reserves. Cell was nothing; all that slowed the boy down then was his immature body. It was not fully developed, and thus unable to properly channel his power, weakening him instead of helping. Now he is nearly in his prime; the time to unleash his energy and strike down Babidi once and for all is now. Goku, I'm afraid, could only buy us time, not defeat Buu."_

Piccolo nodded. "Then let's hope I can convince him."

"Shall Kibito and I accompany you?"

"Not yet—I have to try him myself. If he won't listen to me, then… let's just hope he does. I'll report back soon."

*****

"Gohan?" Piccolo called into the Son home, easing the front door open after knocking. At no answer, he called, "Chichi?"

"Piccolo?" came a woman's voice from the living room. Chichi abandoned her seat in the living room to greet the rare guest. "You're looking for Gohan?" He nodded. "Well, sorry—he's still in town. He was going in to train his _girlfriend today."_

"Girlfriend?" The alien blushed.

"Oh yes, didn't you know?" Chichi returned, knowing fully well that Piccolo didn't and eager to tell someone all the juicy details of her son's love life. "Her name's Videl—she's Hercule's daughter."

"Poor boy…" he muttered under his breath.

"What's that?"

"I said, I need to tell—"

"You know, they get along _so well together." She sighed, blocking out the fighter. "I just know they're a __perfect match."_

"Chichi, if the two Gohans don't—"

"And she's rich, too! Not that I think that's all she's got going for her, mind you. My boy knows how to pick 'em! And marriage for money isn't everything—Goku didn't have a penny when I married him."

"The Supreme Kai said the world will be destroyed unless—"

"Oh we _have to get them together!" she chimed in excitedly._

Piccolo blinked. "Wha—? Well, yes, I _know that!"_

"Huh?" Chichi snapped from her romantic trance. "You do? That's wonderful! Now," she leaned forward furtively, dropping her voice to a whisper. "Next time she comes over—"

"_He," the Namek corrected._

"What?" A look of confusion crossed her face. "Gohan _lives here, why would we wait for __him to come over?"_

"But the other one doesn't—_he's at Capsule Corp."_

"Other one?" She blanked. "Other one what?"

"The other Gohan! The one I've been talking about for the past five minutes!"

"Wait…" she held up a hand. "I'm confused. I thought we were setting my son up with Hercule's daughter."

Both adults took a moment before registering the mix-up. "What are you talking about?" they asked simultaneously.

"Piccolo was the first to pipe up, "_I'm trying to locate the two Gohans."_

"The—two? Excuse me?"

Uh…oh. Great, she didn't know! Leave it to Gohan to chicken out of telling his own mother about his problem and sticking Piccolo with the task. No wonder she was acting so…Chichi-like… rather than crying her eyes out or throwing appliances at him. Now _he would have to explain the problem and face her wrath._

"Chichi…you might want to sit down," he urged.

"No!" she refused stubbornly. "I want to know what in the world you're talking about with 'two Gohans.' Did something happen to my baby?"

Delicate explanations never being his strongpoint, the alien bluntly replied, "Yes."

The color drained from Chichi's face as she inched towards her chair. "Perhaps I _will sit down…" _

Piccolo continued. "I don't know how much—if anything—Gohan told you, but two days ago something…happened…to Gohan. His body was split into two halves: one fully human and one fully Saiyan."

Chichi, who had been blankly staring into space absorbing the impact of the explanation, sighed and rubbed her eyes. "I guess that explains why his attitude reminded me so much of Vegeta's the other day…"

"Needless to say, we soon noticed that there was more than one Gohan walking around, and since then Bulma, Dende, and I have all been searching for a way to rejoin the two halves."

She stopped rubbing and looked up. "And?"

Piccolo sighed. "The story goes much deeper than Gohan's problem. He didn't just wake up one day as two people by accident. As it turns out, he will be the determining factor in an upcoming battle, and with him like this, he is of no use."

"I wish…" Her voice was soft with anger. "I wish you'd stop treating him like he's only useful as a weapon; this is my _son we're talking about, his wellbeing should come first in your mind, not whether or not he'll be able to fight!" She made herself calm down a little. "You still haven't told me if you found a solution."_

He hesitated. "We…we found _something…"_

"Then why are you waiting?"

"It's not that—"

She cut him off. "You're telling me my _son is in two bodies; let me __make it simple." She stood up. "__Why are you waiting?"_

"Because! The only person who can change Gohan back is Gohan himself! His two halves must agree of their own free will to fuse together or his body will be destroyed, and right now they aren't exactly getting along too well."

"All you need is for them to agree to fuse?"

He nodded.

"Then…leave my boy to me…"

—End Chapter 8—

Post-Chapter Notes: Ok, it's probably totally obvious now that this is DEFINITELY an A/U. I've seen the majority of the Buu saga, and I *do* know what happens to the blob at the end. But it's my story, I can do what I want with it. So PLLBT! As always, I appreciate any constructive criticism and reviews which lift me up as a wonderful writer. Take your pick and review!


	9. The Pact

Author's Notes: Yippee! Another chapter! And it's heating up, the end is near! Fingers tired…can't type…REVIEW!

_Last time on It's a Start:_

His hair was as brilliantly gold as ever, his eyes that same pale blue, his face ever expressionless. As he neared, she felt her legs get weak and slid into the chair situated behind her. He stopped a few feet from her and looked down, muscles tense.

*****

"Answer _me_ a question first." Hesitantly, she nodded, feeling suddenly very small and weak.

"Do I scare you?" he whispered softly, then leaned back to let her mull the question over.

*****

Swinging her legs back inside the jet copter, she announced calmly and clearly, "Please…please don't follow me, and don't try to see me again." Reaching up to pull the hatch shut, she added, "I won't be taking lessons from you anymore."

*****

Gohan swiftly planted himself on the Gold Fighter's chest, hands at the alien's throat. "You would have destroyed me," he snarled.

*****

His aura faded in brilliance, and the human despaired as the Saiyan's energy level plummeted. Then, as if a bright candle had been snuffed out, another Gohan stood where the Gold Fighter had been a split-second before.

*****

"Because, I _can't_ do anything, not without killing Gohan. If he does not want to rejoin, if both of his halves do not agree, then the process of fusing them together will destroy him."

*****

"Then…leave my boy to me…"

__

_Chapter Nine: The Pact_

__

Videl blinked once. Twice. Three times she tried to make sense of the scene before her, forcing her gaze from one Gohan to the other, and then back again. She wanted to say something, anything, but any words were blocked by a large lump which had lodged itself in her throat. This was real, right? She wasn't dreaming was she?

Though her mouth would form no words, her brain was hard at work trying to sort out the mess the fight had become, searching for some logical explanation as to just why there were two Gohans before her.

Choking out, "Twins?" she awaited a response from one of the fighters.

The human dropped his gaze, ashamed. "No…" Videl whipped her head around to focus on him.

"Then…what?" He did not speak again, and she turned back to the new figure who was standing in the exact spot the Gold Fighter had been. "…Gold Fighter?"

The alien narrowed his eyes, giving a short, "Hn," of affirmation. It was so strange—his hair and eyes had gone black, but she knew it was the same being; she could still detect that cold aura that always surrounded him.

"But—you look so much like…Gohan."

"Because," the human began, speaking up again, "Because he _is Gohan."_

"He—Gohan? But…" Words failed her, spilling from her mind like sand from an hourglass. "But…then, who are _you?"_

"He's Gohan as well," the Saiyan revealed.

"Oh…of course," she stated matter-of-factly; the sarcasm was not lost on either boy. "I can't believe _I_ didn't come to that conclusion."

The two Gohans looked at each other. "Videl," the Saiyan began, but she interrupted him.

"One of you is obviously lying." They blinked and she continued, "Either that or I'm seeing double…" 

"Videl, we're not lying, you're not dreaming or seeing double and, much as I hate to admit it now, we _are both Gohan."_

"Or _were_," the human added.

"I'm gonna sit, I think…" She gently lowered herself onto the grass and looked back up at the two fighters. "How…how can you both be Gohan? You—" She gestured to the Saiyan, "if you're the Gold Fighter like you said, then you're an alien, he told me so—"

"Actually," he cut in, "_I_ told you that. You were talking to me then."

_Him_? She hesitated, faltering for words. How could it have been _him? She'd been so sure it was her friend! Tricked… she'd been tricked then, how many other times had she been duped? "__You… told me the truth about the Gol—you?" She pointed to the human. "But I was supposed to be doing my lesson with __Gohan yesterday, not the Gold Fighter."_

"You _did_ train with Gohan," the human explained quickly. "Just not with his human half."

"Human? _Half_?" Confusion flooded her voice. "Wha—what's going on here?" It was time to clear up this whole mess.

Both Gohans sighed and turned to one another, lowering their voices, each feeling strangely as if he were looking into a mirror. "I knew this would happen," the human began in a whisper. "If you had merely kept your part—"

"She would have found out eventually. This way, she can decide who she wants."

"What makes you think she 'wants' either of us?" The Saiyan narrowed his eyes at the human's presumption.

"She's waiting for an explanation." They were quite aware of their audience.

"Fine." Turning back to Videl, who looked up at them expectantly, they sat down.

"Videl… we're going to tell you about Gohan. The Gohan you knew, the one you met with underneath the tree at school… the one you haven't seen for nearly a week."

"Why are you talking about yourself as if you're another person, though?"

"Because the Gohan I'm going to talk about is not me. Nor is he him." 

Now the human took over the explanation. "Gohan is…not normal, as you may have noticed. Part of this comes from his extensive background training in martial arts; the other part comes from his genes."

The Saiyan picked back up. "When I told you about Saiyans, it was for a reason. Gohan is not human, but he's not really an alien either. He's a half-breed, an impure being torn between his heritages. We are the manifestations of the lines that flow through the Gohan you knew. I represent his Saiyan ancestry."

"And I am the human half of him."

Videl didn't respond to this revelation immediately; in fact, she _couldn't_ with the words so fresh in her mind, numbing her. But after a moment, "…Where? Where is Gohan, then?"

"He's gone…split into us."

"Then…bring him back." Her words took on a sense of urgency as she began to understand what was going on. It wasn't all clear, but she understood enough to know that something was very wrong. "Bring him back!" Her voice crescendoed in pitch, taking on a tone almost of pleading. It began to dawn on her that, for some time, she had been tricked into thinking the Gohan she was with was the boy… well, the boy whose company she normally enjoyed.

The Saiyan alone stood. "No." His voice, the voice which back in the meadow had been almost warm, was now devoid of any gentleness it might have had before. Once again a malevolence ran through it, separating him from the world. "I can't anyway, but even if I _could bring him back, I would never rejoin with such a weakling human as _that_." Without another word he shot off, silent, into the sky, leaving the two to their devices._

The human Gohan now stood also, glancing awkwardly at Videl, who returned the gaze.

"It's true?" He nodded, averting his gaze, unable to look her in they eye from guilt. "How long?"

He sighed. "I guess it's been… the Gohan you've been with hasn't been the Gohan you first met for… three days now."

The revelation hit her like a ton of bricks. "…Three days?" she repeated, shocked that this could have gone on for so long without her noticing. 

"Yes. When we first met the Gold Fighter on the highway after the chase three days ago. That's when it started."

"I…" she began, head swimming with confusion. "I need to go home. Now."

*****

4:00

Goten and Trunks would be tucked away in the bowels of Capsule Corp, gearing up for another spar in the Gravity Room if Vegeta wasn't using it. His mother would be standing over a crock-pot of simmering vegetables, one eye on a roast in the oven and another on a rising loaf of bread. Somewhere out there was Videl.

And here he was, truly alone. Without even his reviled Saiyan side to converse with.

He'd tried to make her listen to reason, to let him see her safely home, but she'd snapped at him to leave her alone, muttering something about lies and betrayal. What could he do but obey?

He sat back down onto the soft grass and let the wind ruffle his spiky hair, closing his eyes and inhaling deeply. Still it would not come. Peace—that's what he was seeking. He couldn't remember what it felt like, when he wasn't plagued with problems on all sides, but he knew it was good. No warring personalities, just a simple life.

Lying down, he knit his brow, eyes still closed. What was he going to do now?

He could never go back to the way things were, never—that stupid Saiyan had ruined everything! His secrets exposed, Videl hated him now, and would undoubtedly refuse to see him again. She might even tell…

A shadow fell across his face. "There is a problem, Gohan."

He opened his eyes a bit, squinting, his mentor dark, backlit by the sun. "There's always a problem…"

"Gohan—your separation is apparently more serious than we thought; it has merited the attentions of the Supreme Kai."

The human opened his eyes fully, propping himself up on his elbows. "…Supreme?"

"Yes." The Namek turned his back on the boy and made as if to leave. "You should go home. Now." Piccolo was gone.

*****

"I know you're here…" she called out from her position sprawled out on her bed. _Someone_ had been there, watching her as she slipped in and out of consciousness, exhausted by the day's happenings. "You're the one who always followed me… and you never told me why."

From his post outside her window, straddling a branch at the top of the tree across from her balcony, the Saiyan slipped quietly into her bedroom proper. "What gave me away?"

She shifted so that she was leaning on her elbows, and instead of answering she fired back a question of her own. "Why are you here?" The alien stopped advancing. "You told me earlier that we shouldn't have been in that meadow, alone…that you shouldn't have been feeling something. Tell me, _Gohan," she spit out the name, "Here to pawn off a few more lies?"_

He winced a bit. "No, I never lied to you."

She laughed, shocked. "Never?"

"Not about what I am. What Gohan was. Never."

She glowered. "There are no loopholes in this argument; you can't get around it. No, you never lied to me _directly, but you never told me the __whole truth. Not even when I trusted you enough to tell you my deepest fears, _confided_ in you."_

"Your deepest fears… if I remember, Gohan handled that quite well, didn't he? Even gave a little confession of his own." He paused as she bore her eyes into his figure, her countenance taking on a slightly more confused than angry appearance. His voice became softer, "Do you know what he _risked in offering to teach you? More than just his secrets, he risked being hurt. By __you."_

"But—me? How could I…" A light bulb began to flicker in her mind as the truth became slightly clearer.

"_I_ know what he feared from you, but that's because I was a part of him." He turned away from her, and at this lull, she took the chance to ask a question.

"_Was_? This whole time… you've spoken as if you and Gohan were totally separate, and yet I look at you and see… _him_."

"I think…._this_ is the truth you wanted?"

She nodded. "What happened? Where is Gohan, and who are you?"

*****

When Gohan got home, the first feeling that hit him was one of déjà vu. There was his mother, sitting alone in her chair, no little brother around, knitting, and waiting. "Home already, Gohan? How was training?" Her unusually cheery tone betrayed the fact that she didn't care a wit about how the lesson had gone.

  
Hesitating, he replied, "It was ok, Videl's coming along really well." With her future grand-children at stake, he hoped whatever wrath his mother was about to bring down upon him would be bated slightly. 

"And Goten?"

"Staying at Trunks' house."

She nodded and turned her attentions back to her needlework. Gohan, thinking himself saved, turned and was headed up to his room, one hand already on the banister. 

"Oh, Gohan, Piccolo came by today. He was looking for you."

He gulped. "Oh." His voice cracked a bit. "He found me; I was out training with Videl, but she left before he arrived."

"Hm," was her only response. As he turned again, she called him back.

"Gohan, come here a minute." He did so, and she continued. "I need you to do something for me."

"…Sure, what?"

"I know I've said before that I don't like you doing what I'm going to ask, but just this once, it'll be alright."

"What, Mom?"

Looking up, she smiled sweetly. "Honey, would you turn into a Super Saiyan for me?"

*****

"The day Gohan introduced you to Bulma. The day you were going to start lessons again, and had to postpone them because Gohan had to go home suddenly. Do you remember it?"

She nodded definitively, sitting up attentively to hear the story. "Of course."

The alien continued. "When I left, I went straight home, then to bed because I wasn't feeling good. Nothing serious, I had a headache and felt exhausted. Just a simple series of events. The next morning there were two Gohans."

"One human…" she began to understand.

"And one Saiyan," he finished for her. "Me."

"This is too weird for fiction," she sighed, and lay back onto the bed.

"It's a lot to grasp."

"So," she continued, "Didn't it strike you as odd that there were two Gohans walking around?"

"Neither one of us knew there was another at first; we woke up at different times. The human went to school, I took a detour to Capsule Corp. We met that afternoon on the highway during the car chase and then went back to Bulma's to try to find out what was wrong."

"That must have been what she was working on this morning…" she muttered sitting up again. Now the rest of the events of the past few days fell into place: her lesson with the Gold Fighter, the truth about him, her lesson with "Gohan"… the puzzle was beginning to take shape. "So, for the past three days, I've spent the majority of my time…with you?"

He nodded. "Do you object to it?" he asked, a bit too slyly for Videl.

She crossed her arms and glared. "Well, I _would have liked knowing it was you—hey!"_

"What?" 

"We can finish now!"

"Finish?" He blanked, her outburst had caught him off-guard. "Finish what?"

"Our Cell Games talk."

"Oh…" That was _not_ the line of talk he'd had in mind. Without his transformed state to hide behind, he felt very vulnerable before the girl. But then…would it hurt to be vulnerable, open, just once? It wasn't like _he_ cared about Gohan's secrets. "Fine… go ahead."

She set her mind to work, furiously sorting through all the new information she'd received. Leaning forward, she began, "You said the man in the tape was your father… you were _both_ at the Games?"

He nodded. "The little boy was Gohan, the man his—_my father, Son Goku."_

"His hair…was he—?"

Another unasked question, answered. "My father was not human, as you suspect, though from a strange series of circumstances he grew up here on earth _thinking_ he was one." She moved to press more out of him on this subject, but he stopped her before she could open her mouth. "It's a long story, maybe I'll tell you later."

She frowned slightly but acquiesced. "You said…he died. I'm sorry…"

He waved her off. "Don't, it was seven years ago."

"Oh, so then it was with Cell?"

Gohan's eyes widened—he'd slipped up. She suspected; from her line of questions, she might already know…Should he tell—_could he tell her? Well yes, technically he could. It was _possible_._

But not proper! He was a Saiyan male, a great warrior, and here he was considering bearing his heart to this…this _human!_

No, he corrected himself, she wasn't _just a human, Videl was more. More to him than merely human. She __had to be, instincts didn't lie. Love… if that was a weakness…would he mind it? Would it be so bad to be vulnerable…for her?_

"…Gohan?" She hesitated to call him by that name, but it was practically impossible for her to separate this alien from that boy, that Saiyaman, from school. In appearance at least. The Gohan _she knew was quiet, gentle, yet naïve, and more than a little goofy. _This_ Gohan… well, like she said, they were alike in appearance at least. They looked exactly the same—they _were_ the same. And yet she wondered how Gohan had kept a side like this a secret._

"It was my fault," he finally muttered. "It was because of me…" 

She had to strain to catch the whispered words; he was doing it again, she realized. Relapsing into some long suppressed memory of which she was totally unaware. He'd done it before during their lesson at Capsule Corp, and here it was again.

"Gohan, you know that can't be true," she tried to comfort. "Whatever happened couldn't have been y—"

"But it _was_!" He erupted, eyes shooting up to meet hers, quivering with rage. "It was! Not Gohan's fault, not the human's, but _mine_! _'Kill him!'_ he told me, _'Make him pay for all the lives he's ruined, the people he's killed!' But I…I said _no_. I was having fun. _Fun_! I wanted to take my time, let my revenge run its sweet course." He couldn't stand to look at her for long, though, and once again turned aside his gaze._

Something clicked in Videl's brain as she watched him, and a sea of realization washed over her. He hadn't just been at the Games, Gohan had fought Cell! And probably more than just _fought_ the android…

"I didn't listen to him, because I _knew I was more powerful, and I would play with him until he begged….he would beg for me to end it. I wanted him to feel __fear…and I liked having that power." _

He could feel her eyes on him, witnessing his breakdown. "Pride. For the blood in my veins, my father _died. For my selfish Saiyan pride, for not doing as he said; he sacrificed his life." Pausing a moment, he spat out, "__For nothing."_

Videl let a respectful silence pervade the room, but couldn't keep quiet for long. Humoring him, she spoke. "Gohan told me, when I said what I was afraid of, that he understood, because he had been in the same situation before, felt the same way: like he wished he could help, do something and not just stand by and watch." Had he been by her, she might have laid a hand on him as a comfort, but he was standing a few feet away still. "He couldn't change what had happened in the past, but he offered to help me change my future."

The Saiyan laughed. "Sentimental crap. Probably the human in him talking."

"I don't think so," she countered confidently, and he had to look up at the tone shift. "He understood the limits of his power; no one can change the past, they can only learn from it and prepare for the future."

He shrugged, not wanting to admit she was right, and Videl gave a small smile. He was still standing by the open window, and a gentle night breeze ruffled his hair and blew to tattered gi he wore to and fro. Moonlight from a crescent hook of a moon streamed in.

She swung her legs over to the side of the bed and hopped up; immediately his attentions were drawn to her actions, and his eyes followed her, confused. With her face blank, he couldn't discern her emotions; she approached slowly, not stopping until she was right in front of him. "I want to ask one more thing."

He hesitantly agreed. "Alright…"

She placed one hand on his chest, observing her own pale flesh, lit by moonlight, against the dark material of his gi, and felt a heartbeat—but hers or his? "Why did you say you wouldn't become one again? Why won't you rejoin?"

So that's what she was after, was it? "Because he's weak!"

"No, I think there's more…"

He hardened. "It's impossible for a _human to understand."_

"Then enlighten me," she pressed.

He yielded eventually. "Fine, you want to know why? I'll tell you. Because all Gohan's life his Saiyan side has been a burden on him, but it was the only legacy his father left, the only real piece of his heritage. Without me, Gohan would have died long ago, but outside of battle, what am I? Nothing to him, just a bundle of base instincts waiting to be suppressed. You want me to go _back_ to that life, now that I'm finally free? _Never_."

She nodded slowly. "I see. It's your choice, your body. I can't make you do anything. But from someone outside looking in, I'll say it's not right. Even if your life was like that…it _was a life. This…you belong together." She pulled back her hand. "Goodnight, whoever you are now."_

*****

"Do it, Gohan."

"But—Mom!" He tried to reason with her. "Why sh—"

A held up hand halted any pleas. "Transform now, Son Gohan." He moved to object, but she hardened her glare, and he dropped his gaze. "Well?"

What could he do? Sighing, he softly confessed, "I can't…"

"And why is that?" she questioned back, not sounding very surprised at the revelation.

"Because…humans _can't_." He looked up at her, expecting a flood of reprobation that did not come. Instead she now stood up, arms crossed, disappointment evident on her face.

"Well, when were you going to bring this little problem to _my attention?"_

"W—who told?"

"Piccolo."

He slid down onto a step and, to his surprise, Chichi sat down beside him, laying one hand on her son's shoulder. "I want to know the truth. From _you_, Gohan."

He nodded stiffly, refraining from looking directly into her face. "A few days ago it started. The day Piccolo came here, I wasn't feeling well, remember?" A nod of affirmation from his mother and he continued. "I don't know what happened… but I went to sleep as one person and woke up as two. _I_ didn't feel any different at first, really, and I didn't even know this had happened until the next afternoon when I met the other me on a highway call with Videl."

Chichi closed her eyes. "_Piccolo_… knows how and why it happened, Gohan."

He blinked, turning quickly to look at her. "He…he does? When did he find out?" 

She didn't answer, but rather turned her face forward, leaving him to look on. "Gohan, you _have_ to get back together. In one body."

"Wha—that didn't answer either question!"

"It wasn't supposed to. Piccolo said you'll be needed for something soon, but whatever it is doesn't matter to me right now. All I know is that something very bad has happened to my son and I want it fixed."

"Well I don't!" He stood up, and though she wouldn't look at him, he drilled his eyes into her. "You think it's some terrible tragedy, everyone does—but it's not! You don't realize how…_freeing it's been, not having to battle my instincts. I can be __normal, no worrying about Saiyan pride triggering outbursts, no keeping it in check. I __can't go back. I _won't _go back."_

There was a profound silence, an empty one. She spoke eventually, voice very soft. "Go to Piccolo. To the lookout. Go away, I want my son back."

*****

"They're coming," Piccolo observed. "There—" he turned his head to the East, three others following his gaze to an inbound figure. "And there." He now turned to the West, and backlit by a setting sun came Gohan.

As soon as the human touched down, he began upbraiding his mentor. "You _told_ her? Without asking me? And what's this about you knowing how we were separated?" The Saiyan was by his double in an instant.

Backing away, the Namek extended a hand to introduce the beings behind him. "Gohans, the Supreme Kai and his servant, Kibito."

The boys' attentions snapped to the small god, who now stepped forward while the servant maintained a respectful distance behind his master. Smiling mysteriously, he greeted, "Welcome."

Ignoring the salutation, the human looked at Piccolo, questioning, "What's this about?"

"Your separation, of course," the Kai filled in, refocusing all attentions on him. He began to pace the lookout, with the Gohans following, waiting for answers. "Boys," he began, "I'm going to tell you something that may or may not come as a surprise." Stopping, he turned around to face them. "Son Gohan is currently the most powerful mortal in your universe." 

The two boys looked at each other questioningly. "…Which one?"

The god smiled that strange smile again. "Oh, neither _one of you. Both together." The Gohans' eyebrows knit in confusion, and the Supreme Kai explained. "I'm going to tell you a story." He took up his pacing again. "Once upon a time, long ago, there was a wizard—a very powerful one. His sole purpose in life, his single intention, was to conquer the universe and bring it under his power. To have all planets and peoples regard him as their abject ruler, his one desire."_

"Not very original, was he?" the Saiyan laughed gruffly. The Kai ignored him and continued.

"To accomplish this he created a monster, Majin Buu, a slave who would carry out his will and dominate the galaxies far and wide in the name of his master. And he was nearly successful; however, the monster Buu was sealed away, trapped inside a ball, and the wizard's plans came to naught.

"Bibidi, for that was the wizard's name, had a son though, and named him Babidi. The son was no better than the father, with the same goals and aspirations, and upon Bibidi's death, he sought to continue his father's work. Only now, there was an obstacle, a very powerful obstacle, in his way."

"…What?"

"You." They dared a glance at one another. "The son could not remove this obstacle on his own, so he commissioned a Kai to help: the South Kai, in fact. With the Kai's power, the problem was… taken care of." He paused. "Would you like to know how? I think you already do…" No answer was returned. "The South Kai split Son Gohan in two, one representing his human half, the other his Saiyan half."

Piccolo now entered the conversation. "This was no accident, Gohan. He targeted you, this wizard Babidi. Targeted you and did this to you. They knew you were the only force that could stop them."

"Yes," the Kai affirmed. "And now he has but to gather the energy to break the seal on Majin Buu's prison, and a tidal wave of destruction will engulf your planet and then spread throughout the universe."

"Well—what are we waiting for? Let's take care of him," the Saiyan interjected, sensing a fight was near.

"Excellent, we'll leave as soon as you rejoin."

Wait, now the fight didn't seem so tempting to the alien; the smile fled from Gohan's face. "Do what?"

"Eager as you are, Gohan, to go out and battle now," Piccolo interposed, "you're not strong enough separated like this. You have to recombine before we can try to defeat Majin Buu."

"Wha—what do you mean?"

"It's the reason you _are_ so powerful. Your mixed background. Saiyan power and potential coupled with human passion and complexity—the possibilities were boundless."

"Without one another, _you_," the god directed his attentions to the human, "are just another human fighter who's reached the limit of his power, while _you_," he now turned to the other Gohan, "are weaker than you were seven years ago. You're hardly a match for Cell now, much less Buu. _Neither of you are strong enough to stand even the slightest chance, not like this."_

"I get it…" the Saiyan began. "I get it. You're trying to trick us into rejoining. You're _all_ trying to!"

"Absurd!" the Kai retorted. "What motivation could I possibly have in doing that?"

"Look, I know my limits, my abilities, and it doesn't take a genius to figure out that combining with someone _weaker than me can't possibly make me stronger."_

"You misunderstand. It is not the human Gohan's _ki which will make you stronger—it is his will. You need him to draw on your reserves; you cannot reach them in this form."_

"Watch me."

"Gohan!" Piccolo could watch him disrespect the Supreme Kai no longer, and lashed out at his former student. "This is the _Supreme Kai! Listen to him—he knows more about this war and all its participants than you could __ever understand."_

"Oh?" He was still irreverent. 

"Yes," the god informed him, disregarding the tone in the Saiyan's voice. "For I was engaged in the fight myself. I know the monster Buu's power because _I_ fought him. I know Gohan's power because I have been watching him for some time now. And I know that _you_ don't have it—_can't have it without him."_

Gohan's eyes narrowed into thin slits. Supreme Kai or not, how could this being presume to know more about his body than himself? He—but he stopped himself. He felt it: the god was probing his mind! He was delving into Gohan's innermost thoughts searching for—

The kai stopped. He'd found the information he'd been seeking, and his eyes widened.

"She will die," he spoke aloud.

Both Gohans' faces washed over with fear, growing pale, but it was the Saiyan, once again, who spoke. "No, she won't." He was defiant in tone, trying to convince himself as well as the audience. "I _will protect her."_

Piccolo and Kibito looked on in confusion, neither one realizing who "she" was, but the Supreme Kai continued. "You will try, yes, no doubt quite valiantly. But without your human side, you will ultimately fail, and she, along with all life on this planet and throughout the universe, will perish."

"No—"

"Yes!" The god was growing impatient and he launched into a tirade. "You are now a full blooded Saiyan, and as such the pride which once brought your race to such greatness flows unbridled through your veins. But just because you were born with it does not mean you cannot die by it! Along with this pride comes a certain arrogance, a disregard for order, and a tendency to consider yourself invincible, when _nothing_ could be further from the truth. Listen to reason! I have battled Majin Buu, I know the power he holds; do not gamble all these lives, _her life, on a futile battle just so your pride won't be spoiled!"_

All parties present were taken aback by the outburst, but it was the alien Gohan who reflected on it most, was most affected by it. Was it possible? Was there a chance that…he might not be able to protect her? What _would happen if he failed? Would she…he flashed on his father—would Videl wind up another sacrifice?_

"Just a minute…" A new voice entered the dispute now, and all eyes turned to the human. "He's not the only one who doesn't want to rejoin."

"My argument applies to you as well, Gohan."

"_I_ don't have any issues about pride, though. I just don't want to rejoin with _him."_

"Then what," the Kai questioned, "will you do about Buu? Send your Saiyan half off to do battle alone? Will you place your own happiness above the lives of all the people of this planet? Above _her life?" His words struck the same chord in the human as they had with his double._

He had to do it, this he knew; he'd hear the Kai's words to his counterpart, and knew if his Saiyan half couldn't do it, then a human didn't stand a chance. But that didn't mean he _wanted to rejoin…it didn't make the thought any easier to embrace._

He'd gotten used to being human, reacting like a human to situations…he didn't want to go back to that life!

Sensing the human's inner turmoil and reluctance, the Saiyan spoke up again. "One day. Give us one day. We'll answer you then."

The Supreme Kai nodded. "Fine, tomorrow, here at sunset."

The alien turned to leave, glancing over his shoulder at his double; the human hadn't moved, staring at the floor. 

"Guess I'll go home…Mom knows now, anyway." The human nodded. "We'll talk later. About this," he added.

*****

Chichi didn't say anything when they walked in, just filled their plates and went into the laundry room to put a load of clothes on to wash. With Goten gone, the house stayed relatively quiet until the two went up to Gohan's room to turn in for the night.

"G'night, Mom," they said to the woman knitting on the couch, and leaned down to give her a quick kiss on either cheek. Hurrying upstairs, they missed the whispered words that fell from their mother's mouth as they left her. "Gohan…my little boy…come back…"

"Well?" the Saiyan began, the door soundly shutting the two off from the rest of the house. "What now?"

The human slumped onto the bed. "I don't know…you're sure you can't beat this thing alone?"

"No, I'm not _sure_," he shook his head. "And I can't be positive unless I fight him like this. But…I believe the Supreme Kai. If he says I can't win, then I probably can't. Besides, I won't risk losing if there's another way that will guarantee victory."

"But how do you _know_ rejoining will guarantee a win?"

"For this wizard to go out of his way to do this, don't you think Gohan must have been a pretty big threat?"

"Still, it's not—"

"Then what will _you_ do?" he snapped. Simpering human; he couldn't believe he was even considering getting back into one body with _this_, but it had to be done. "Give up on the only way we might be able to beat this monster? If I fight him now, and I die, then who'll protect her? You?"

The human narrowed his eyes. "Don't act like _you're the only one who feels anything for her."_

"Then help me! If for no other reason than to make sure she lives." He still wavered, hesitant. "She'll die if we don't!"

"Don't you think I _know_ that?"

"Then why do you still wait?"

"Because! Because—she's not the only thing I'm scared of losing. I don't want to lose…myself." He lowered his eyes.

"…what?"

"My human consciousness. I've become more aware of it since we split…and I'm afraid if we rejoin, then it'll be lost."

The Saiyan paused before delivering his reply. "It seems… we both have fears about rejoining." The human's eyes shot up to look at the alien. "I'm afraid of being suppressed, of being shoved into a tiny corner of Gohan's mind and abandoned."

A few moments passed, each reflecting on the decision before him. The human stood and extended a hand. "Agree with me."

"What?"

"Make a promise with me. If we rejoin, we won't lose each other. Gohan is half-human _and_ half-Saiyan. Agree with me to…try something like taking turns. Let the Saiyan side out some, then the human."

"No more battles," the alien realized. "Cooperation."

"Deal?"

The Saiyan looked down at the hand before him, and smiled, taking it in a firm grip. "Deal."

—END CHAPTER NINE—

_Post-chapter notes:_ Aah, another chapter, finally finished. Oh, and look! I've already got some of the next one written…hmm, I wonder what would make me write faster…I know! REVIEWS! The currency of the future. Let me know what's going through your minds about this chap—it was fun to write, but the next one's going to be even better…MWAHAHAHA—*hack**cough**sputter* I'm done.


	10. I Know You

_Author's Note:_ Oooh, nearly done! Now, I'm warning everyone right now that this chapter isn't as long as previous ones because I got to the point I wanted to stop at before I reached the normal length I usually write. But it was such a good point I felt any more in this chapter would spoil it. Anyway, enjoy!

P.S.: The song included later on in the chapter is the English translation of "Still Alone" by Ayumi Hamasaki, a _very pretty song and quite appropriate for the scene, I thought. I advise everyone to listen to it while reading the scene it's in._

_Last time on It's a Start:_

"Because," the human began, speaking up again, "Because he _is Gohan."_

"He—Gohan? But…" Words failed her, spilling from her mind like sand from an hourglass. "But…then, who are _you?"_

*****

"Tell me, _Gohan_," she spit out the name, "Here to pawn off a few more lies?"

He winced a bit. "No, I never lied to you."

She laughed, shocked. "Never?"

"Not about what I am. What Gohan was. Never."

*****

"I think…._this_ is the truth you wanted?"

She nodded. "What happened? Where is Gohan, and who are you?"

*****

"What, Mom?"

Looking up, she smiled sweetly. "Honey, would you turn into a Super Saiyan for me?"

*****

"I get it…" the Saiyan began. "I get it. You're trying to trick us into rejoining. You're _all_ trying to!"

"Absurd!" the Kai retorted. "What motivation could I possibly have in doing that?"

*****

"Then what will _you_ do?" he snapped. Simpering human; he couldn't believe he was even considering getting back into one body with _this_, but it had to be done. "Give up on the only way we might be able to beat this monster? If I fight him now, and I die, then who'll protect her? You?"

The human narrowed his eyes. "Don't act like _you're the only one who feels anything for her."_

*****

"No more battles," the alien realized. "Cooperation."

"Deal?"

The Saiyan looked down at the hand before him, and smiled, taking it in a firm grip. "Deal."

_Chapter Ten: I Know You_

__

Before the sun could even think about rising the following morning, in the dark dewy hours preceding the dawn, both of the Gohans were up and dressed, headed out of the house, bound for some secluded training spot where they could prepare for their rejoining.

  
"If Gohan's going to be at peak fighting level," the Saiyan observed, "we should try and get in as much sparring with each other as possible."

The human nodded, agreeing, "We won't get an opportunity to train like _this_ again." He crossed his fingers, praying he wouldn't be proven wrong. 

The two rose into the air, swiftly gaining altitude to search for a suitable meadow that could contain their energy.

*****

Shortly over an hour after the boys had risen, in Satan Mansion Videl awoke from a long night of tossing and turning, hardly feeling rested and nursing the need to get out of her room and do _something to distract herself. Tossing aside her night clothes, she slipped into her normal training attire, consisting of a baggy t-shirt and shorts, and crept down to the training facility on the building's lowest level._

Silently, she slipped down the long dark corridors, navigating the maze of halls with ease, until she finally reached the imposing double doors guarding her father's private training area.

The room was normally locked, but she'd made sure to swipe one of the spare keys from the store room on her way down, and with a mighty shove, the doors opened before her.

Flipping a master switch on the wall to her right, the room hummed to life, revealing treadmills, stair-steppers, weight machines, punching bags, dumbbells; any exercise machine or accessory imaginable was in Hercule's possession. 

Quickly snagging a sweat towel from the sauna, she hung it on a rack near one of the newer, tougher punching bags, then set to work on it first.

Punch, jab. Kick, kick. Punch, kick, jab, roundhouse! She let loose a flurry of moves upon the sandbag, all the while chanting the mantra, _'I must get stronger'_ in her mind.

That was the only way she could get any better at this energy business and continue training: She had to get stronger. When Gohan came back, she needed to be ready for her lessons. 

Because he _was_ coming back. One way or another, she _would_ see him again—the _real_ Gohan, not those fake doubles.

Fake…that was a good term. False, too. The Saiyan, wasn't that the name he'd used? Well, that one was good for lessons, but not much for just talking, or comforting her. She'd enjoyed those times under the tree when Gohan had…never mind. 

And as for the human one, well, she hadn't been around that half nearly enough to know him. Maybe he was more normal but…either way, they _weren't Gohan._

The Gohan she remembered was…oh, how to describe him? Smart (_that_ was an understatement), shy (heck yeah), kinda goofy (was he _ever_), naïve (but that only made him cuter—)

Whoa, better stop that train of thought. She delivered a few more blows to the bag, putting a bit more force behind these. _'Yeah, fine,' she made herself admit, __'he's cute, in that innocent school boy-ish way.' But he was no innocent school boy—not with the things he could do._

Lifting cars and buses, flying, forming balls of energy from nothing and using them to blow things up—these were all characteristics endowed to comic book characters, not people like Gohan.

But then, hadn't it been Gohan who'd first helped her, told her he empathized? That he understood, and offered to help her? The gesture, it was so sweet…_he_ was so sweet.

She could add that to his list: sweet. And she missed that sweetness, that gentleness, the way he always walked on eggshells around her… She found herself wishing she'd appreciated his presence more. But now…who knew when he'd come back? After she'd driven him away like that? 

Abandoning the bag—now showing obvious wear and tear from the onslaught—she sat down on one of the benches lining the wall, a sliver of sunlight streaming in from a window above her.

_"He risked being hurt. By you."_

His words had really cut her—she'd never do anything to hurt Gohan! But the Saiyan hadn't been talking about _physical pain…He's been talking about Gohan's heart._

He'd opened himself up, made himself vulnerable…Rising again, she stood before the punching bag face determined.

So many questions still without answers… "You'd better come back soon, Son Gohan."

*****

"Well?" the human panted, plopping on the ground and struggling for breath from the exertion as his Saiyan side stood over him, "Are you gonna say it, or am I?"

The alien cocked an eyebrow, barely sweating after the exercise. "…Say what?"

The human's face took on a knowing expression. "What're we going to do about Videl? We'd better figure it out now—we don't exactly have a lot of time."

"…Oh." He slid down onto the soft ground beside his double, thoughtful, before admitting, "You say it; I'll fumble it."

"Alright…" he chose his words carefully. "I guess…I like her."

The Saiyan waited a moment, staring at Gohan as if expecting more. "…Is that all?"

"Well—I…" He was a bit taken aback by the question. "I guess."

"You can't 'guess' on this, human. Think: You say you 'like' her—what do you mean?"

"Well…I _like_ her." What more did his double want? "She's smart, funny, beautiful, strong; what's not to like?"

Turning away, the alien shook his head. "You humans…emotions are so _simple_ for you."

"…What?"

He stood and began pacing like a caged animal. "You like her, you say. You enjoy her company, but is that…all?"

"I'm not sure wh—"

"_Here_." The Saiyan placed one hand over his own heart and stood firm, boring his deep black eyes into equally black ones. "In here, I feel it day after day. That tug, that pull, whenever I'm around her. It races, it skips a beat every now and then. And when she's sad, I feel it. But when she's happy…I feel like I could take on a hundred Cells!" He pulled away his hand. "_That_ is more than 'like,' and though I know logically I shouldn't, I think…I _know…I love her."_

With the tirade passed, the human's eyes were released from the stare, and they dropped to the ground, ashamed. "Sometimes…sometimes I would get…jealous. When you'd go out and train with her. That first day, and every day since. I told myself I was right, that I was afraid you'd hurt her…but I was lying. It was just jealousy. I wanted her to accept _me as the real Gohan…I wanted her to love _me_…because I loved her."_

"And if…anything happened to her?" the alien began.

Gohan shrugged. "That's why we're rejoining, isn't it? To save her?"

He nodded. There was no need to mention the previous afternoon's conversation he'd had with Videl.

*****

The sun had already begun its descent into the western horizon, and the sky above was trading the pink of late afternoon for the violet of early evening. Five pairs of eyes scanned the sky around the Lookout high above the earth, their worry increasing with each passing minute.

_'They will come,' _Piccolo reassured himself over again in his mind, as he'd been doing for the past quarter-hour. _'I know Gohan. He knows what's needed.'_

But, as it turned out, this reassurance was unnecessary, for not a few moments later, two figures, side by side, dotted the sky and alighted on the tiled marble floor of Kami's Lookout, faces determined.

The Supreme Kai stepped forward, his own face as solemn as the boys'. "Well? What is your decision?"

The Gohans took one last chance to look at each other, each pondering the life he might have led, separated from his other half. A life without internal conflict. Free and unrestrained…

The Saiyan turned his gaze now to the god. "We have decided… to rejoin."

The Kai's mouth curved upwards into an approving grin, and he nodded, but his excitement was betrayed by his eyes, which glittered joyously. "Thank you, Gohan." Turning, he beckoned his servant, "Kibito, if you please."

"Of course, master." He removed from his robes the same small box of earrings they had shown Piccolo, Dende, and Mr. Popo upon their arrival, and gently placed them in the god's waiting palm.

Cracking open the box, the Supreme Kai held up one for all to see. It wasn't fancy by any standard, merely a small golden sphere attached to a short chain which held it fast to its wearer's ear.

"These are the fusion earrings. Very simple to use, you both take one and hook them on opposite ears." At this, the Gohans each took one and fingered it, turning it over in his hand to study the object. "As soon as you do this your bodies will be drawn together in a permanent fusion."

Their attentions snapped to the god. "Permanent?"

"Yes, and—" his voice became serious again. "Gohan, I cannot stress enough the importance of your mutual agreement to this task. You are two halves of a whole; you are _meant_ to be together, but any doubts…_any_ qualms from either party in this fusion will result in the destruction of the new body. Not even the strongest being in the mortal universe can withstand it."

"…Destruction?" They slowly turned to look at one another, each praying that the other wasn't harboring any secret hesitations toward the fusion.

Here Piccolo interjected a question. "Even if this fusion is successful, sir, what's to stop Babidi and the South Kai from just separating them again?"

"What indeed…" He became thoughtful, then answered, "I'll place a protection on him to block any spells from the Kai—I'd have done that before had I seen that the Kai would try this. As for Babidi…I leave _him to Gohan."  
  
_

"Let's just hope he's as capable of defeating Buu as you say," came the ever-pessimistic reply.

The Supreme Kai nodded and turned to the Gohans. "Boys?" Taking a deep breath, the Saiyan attached the earring to his left ear, and after receiving a reassuring glance, the human hooked his on his right.

Immediately a brilliant surge of light and energy enveloped the Lookout, and a gust of wind blew through, knocking over all present. Piccolo shielded his eyes with one arm and supported himself with the other, shooting the Kai a questioning glance.

Mere moments later, though, the smoke and debris cleared, and where two halves had once stood, there was now one being, bedecked in a combination of the Saiyan's black fighting gi and the human's own fighting ensemble.

"…Gohan?" Piccolo hazarded, and the figure's black eyes slowly opened, narrow slits at first, inspecting his new body as if seeing it for the first time. He ran his gaze over his legs, chest and arms, and down his back, noting the still-present tail. He eventually lifted his eyes to the Namek in response, face blank at first, then broke into a grin.

"I'm back!"

*****

After undergoing extensive poking and prodding of his new—or was that old?—body, as well as enduring the Kai's spell, Gohan vehemently assured all, "Trust me, I'm me again!"

"Indeed," the god agreed after giving the boy a once over. "The fusion seems to have gone off perfectly." Peering into the boy's eyes, he queried, "Well? How do you feel now? Any more powerful?"

His expression was doubtful. "Not…not really right now, to tell the truth. I guess I don't realize it yet, though. I've been apart for so long, I don't even remember what my old body felt like."

"We can only hope that's the reason…shall we?"

The new Gohan now turned from the god, looking back at the horizon on which the sun had just set. "Sir," he called out.

"Yes?"

"Before I go with you, there's something I have to take care of."

"…wha—Gohan!" But he had already taken to the air, fading quickly from view and leaving everyone to watch helplessly. "I suppose we can only wait until he returns." _'If he returns…'_ he thought grimly, and resigned himself to the temple.

*****

All day the gym doors had been shut. Training classes had been cancelled, and all visitors and tours for the day turned away. It wasn't until after dark that an exhausted Videl dragged her tired and broken body up the long staircase to her room. Standing at the door, hardly caring where she landed, she threw her body into the room, luckily landing on one of the chaise-lounges. She stretched out on it, seeking the most comfortable position—not an easy task—and within moments her breathing had become deep and even.

And it was in this position that Gohan found her. Alighting with cat-like grace and stealth, he slipped into the room via the balcony window he'd come in by before.

[_Where are you walking,_

_what are you staring at now?_

_Are you still chasing that dream_

_You once told me about?_]

Dark shadows played across the floor and furniture, and a waxing moon flooded much of the room in its pale glow, lighting his way. He approached her, making less sound than the gentle wind which was blowing through the trees outside the room.

[_I loved your face that_

_seemed to tell the future._]

His eyes slid over to a sleeping form curled upon a chair, and, silent as a ghost, he sidled up to it. Lifting a hand, which trembled in spite of his willing it to be still, he hesitantly brushed back from her face one of the strands of black hair that had loosened itself from her ponytail during the day.

This simple gesture, however, was enough to cause Videl to stir from her state. Her eyelids flickered open, still tiny slits, and gazed at the floor in her immediate line of sight for a moment, before realizing someone was standing over her and sliding up to view the face.

Her eyes grew wide, though, as soon as she took in who the intruder was, and she choked out in a half-whisper, smiling, "Gohan?"

His only response was a small smile and a slow nod, confirming her hope. 

She pushed herself up into a sitting position. "You're back?"

He gave a noncommittal shrug. "Back to whatever I was before."

Now it was she who nodded. "Good…" There was a pause, and then, "I'm…I'm glad. That you're you again."

_'You're not the only one,'_ he thought to himself. "You're not…mad at me?"

"Mad?" she questioned. "Why?"

"I just thought…since I lied…you said—"

She waved it off. "Forget it—that's in the past. Can't change it." He smiled at this. "But I…I want to know about the future…" Here, the smile faded from his lips as the memory of why he'd come resurfaced. "Gohan…when wi—"

"Wait," he interrupted, gently though. He had to stop her; he knew if she continued that it would only become harder for him to speak. "Wait…"

Confused, she pressed, "What? What is it?" His eyes slid away, the way they had done before when he had to tell her something he didn't want to, when he knew it would hurt her. She stood up and queried, "Gohan—_what?" Her voice hardened a bit, urging him on._

"I didn't…" He faltered for words, "I didn't come just to let you see that I'm me again…"

Surprisingly, he didn't keep his eyes averted, but rather shifted them back, face more serious than she'd seen it yet. Not angry, but…more solemn, sad…pained.

"Videl…I have to leave."

[_For you to protect that dream,_

_I couldn't be with you._]

The words passed through her mind more swiftly than water down a fall, so swiftly that she wasn't able to fully understand. "W-what?"

"I have to leave, to fight this…thing."

Then he, Gohan, never one to unduly alarm anyone he cared for, spoke the words Videl had hoped she'd never have to hear.

"And…I might not come back."

She felt her eyes shut tight, lids pulled down by the weight of his statement. It was by sheer force of will that she remained standing, and for a moment that stretched for hours, neither one spoke.

[_When you stood here_

_and watched the scenery,_

_how much anxiety and confusion_

_did you battle with?_]

But building up inside of her were intense feelings, yearning to be let out, freed from the bonds of her will, and for once, she let them loose. "How…_dare_ you…"

Gohan's eyes grew wide. Her voice—just a minute ago she been so happy, and now…_no one_ could miss the pain and fury intermingled in that one utterance.

"How could you even _think_ of coming back now and doing this?" The pain and sadness took over, and her voice cracked. But no: now was not the time for tears. "After I waited this long, put up with your lies, your stupid doubles, worried about you…you're just gonna come back and say 'hi' only to tell me you're leaving again, probably to _die?!" Her breathing now came in fast, gasping breaths._

His eyes sunk to the floor, blurring in and out of focus. There was so much he wanted to explain: how he _had_ to do this, for everyone, for the universe…for _her, how he had never meant to hurt her, how…how…He could explain __one thing…He jerked his head back up, determined._

"Videl…That's not it."

What? More? Could she take more? Could her soul bear it?

"I came here to say I was going, because… I couldn't just leave without saying it…" But now that he _was_ here, the words he'd prepared fled his mind. He called upon the two halves inside of him to give him peace. "I didn't want to die. I _don't want to die…not without saying…__I love you."_

[_I've learned a lot_

_from being alone._]

Frozen. Paralyzed. Her body refused to move. No force in heaven or on earth could make her form a response to his confession. The only evidence she'd even registered the words was her heart skipping a beat, her breath caught in her throat.

She could only watch through the windows that were her eyes, as Gohan, though speaking of love, still bore an expression of immense sorrow—why? He looked so sad…but she couldn't comfort him.

[_As long as you didn't let go of my hand,_

_I felt like I could do anything._]

She saw him lean forward, felt the ever so gentle brush of his lips against her cheek—it felt like goodbye. And there she stood, helpless, watching his form slip away, out the window, into the black of night.

And now, only now was she released from the spell which had held her fast where she stood, kept her from even saying goodbye…The words trapped in her throat came forth now in a choking whisper, "G—Gohan…"

He was leaving her—maybe forever. Her feet felt like cement blocks, but they moved now! She dragged them, fighting the whole way to the window, feeling them lighten with each successive step, until she was free. Sprinting to the balcony she let his name spring forth unhindered from her lips. "Gohan!"

[_When we walked along the same path_

_I believed without a single doubt._]

But he was gone already, far into the night, beyond where her words could reach him. He loved her, but he still left. To fight—she had done nothing to stop him.

[_But even so, why…?_

_But even so, why…?_

_But I…_]

Turning, she let herself slide down to the floor, back braced by the railing. He couldn't see her now, so she pulled her legs up to her chin, as she'd done when a child, and let the tears she'd held back flow freely, rivers of regret coursing down her cheeks.

[_I remember your promise._

_I remember every day._]

And through all the pain, through the sadness, she remembered why. One thought surfaced, above all others: "I…love him…"

—END CHAPTER TEN—

Post-Chapter Notes: Well? I figured it was about time for them to realize it but that doesn't mean I'm gonna let them act on it yet! Yes, I know, I'm evil, but what can I say? I'm an angst-a-holic! Yeah, once again, I'm sorry the chapter was so short, but at least you didn't have to wait as long for it! As always, reviews are not only welcomed, they're encouraged! And if you'd like to be on e-mail notice about this story's updates, or any of my other ones, e-mail me at orofangwen@fr.st and I'll get right on it. Thanks! 


	11. Interlude: Goodbye

Author's Notes: First off, this is _not a long update. In fact, I'll even go so far as to tell you it's not even a real chapter. It's a little snack to hold you over until I type up the next real chapter. I felt there was too much emotion in this scene to lump it together with another chapter (yes, more emotion than the Gohan/Videl scene from the last chap.), so I put it in its own special place. Hope you're ready…_

_Interlude: Goodbye_

__

_"Mommy…"_

"Gohan…"

_"Mommy, I have to go now."_

"No…no, don't—you're staying here."

_"Mommy, I have to go now…They need me."_

"_I_ need you…don't go, baby."

_"Mommy, I have to go now…Daddy would let me go. I have to go help. They need me on Namek."_

"But—you're too young! How could they take you away when you're so young…stay _here_."

_"Mommy…I'm going now."_

"Gohan…"

*****

"I…I have to leave, Mom. I'm going with the Supreme Kai, to fight the monster Piccolo told you about. I'm…I might be gone…for a while…"

It was happening, all over again. Just as soon as she'd gotten him back, he was leaving…just like Goku. Except last time, Goku hadn't come back. He'd said he'd come back, but he hadn't—he'd abandoned her, like Gohan was now.

She tried commanding, pleading, even begging him to stay, not to leave her. But all he did was shake his head sadly and mutter in a low voice, "I'm sorry, Mom…"

_Sorry_? He was sorry? For what, hurting her? Making her worry? Didn't he even know what he was apologizing _for_? For killing her—every single time he went away, with Piccolo first, then to Namek, then to face his death in Cell's game…_every time, he killed just a little bit more of her already wounded soul._

_This_…this would crush her. The sorrow of losing yet another boy would suffocate her. Goten would be all she'd have left, and though he'd try and help…no.

He shouldn't have to do this! He was such a gentle little boy…when he was younger…her baby. It had _never_ been his choice to fight, to get stronger, always theirs. Piccolo, Bulma, Krillin…even Goku. Yes, she _did_ blame Goku. If he hadn't left…then Gohan wouldn't be doing the same now.

He'd never gotten to be a normal child—there'd always been _something he needed to train for. Some new evil coming to earth to kill them all, an evil on __his shoulders the burden had been placed to defeat. Always, __always it had fallen to her child to save the world._

Right now she _hated_ her husband. For what his actions had done to their firstborn. It was all _his_ fault Gohan was so strong.

"Have you…" Her voice cracked, "Have you told Videl?"

His eyes snapped to her, then fell away slowly, distressed. "Y—yes…"

"And what did she say?"

"She…was angry. _Very_ angry…and sad…" And yet he still left her, just like he was leaving Chichi.

"How _can _you…" Her voice was soft and low, enhancing the effect her words had on her son. "How can you see what you've done, all the pain your leaving is causing us, and _still go?"_

"Mom, I—"

"_No_! I don't want to lose you, too! You Saiyans…your father…always put everyone else above himself…but what about those who care about you? Have you even _thought_ about how your family feels? How _Videl_ feels?"

"Of course I have!" he snapped, quickly clapping a hand over his mouth, astonished such a tone had come from him. "I _have…and that's why I'm leaving…to save __everyone."_

_'That's exactly what Goku said…'_  

"…but why does it have to be _you…why _my_ son?" __'It's always someone's son,' she answered herself. _

He looked upon her fondly, noticing only now how truly _old she looked when she was sad, how her shoulders hunched over, bending her spine, and how the pale moonlight slid over the worry lines creasing her face. Leaning forward, he kissed her forehead, breaking the dam of will that had held back Chichi's grief._

He pulled her to his chest, comforting her as she sobbed, grief-stricken, into his gi, saturating it with the sorrow reserved for mothers of soldiers sent off to battle. 

"Shh…" he comforted, running a hand through her fine hair. "I will beat it, and I'll come back. _I'll come back."_

Would he? Chichi knew better than to trust in so vain a hope. Goku had taught her that. It would only hurt that much more when one of the Z fighters bore back his broken and maimed body the next day.

She buried the thought, whispering into his gi, "_Don't_…don't be Goku. Come back to me…_please…"_

—END INTERLUDE—

_Post-Chapter Notes:_ *wipes away a tear* Wow…that almost made _me_ cry, and I wrote it! Yes, I think only the love from a mother to her child can top that of husband-wife love. Any thoughts on this oh-so-depressing chapter? You know the drill, click that review button!


	12. Why So Sad?

Author's Notes: Woohoo, you'll be pleased to learn I'm typing up this chapter from the comfort of my very own laptop. Know what that means? More chapters, less waiting! Aah....the power...On with the chapter!

_Last time in It's A Start:_

Turning away, the alien shook his head. "You humans…emotions are so _simple_ for you."

*****

The Gohans took one last chance to look at each other, to ponder the life he might have led, separated from his other half. A life without internal conflict. Free and unrestrained…

The Saiyan turned his gaze now to the god. "We have decided… to rejoin."

*****

After undergoing extensive poking and prodding of his new--or was that old?--body, as well as enduring the Kai's spell, Gohan vehemently assured all, "Trust me, I'm me again!"

*****

"I have to leave, to fight this…thing."

Then he, Gohan, never one to unduly alarm anyone he cared for, spoke the words Videl had hoped she'd never have to hear.

"And…I might not come back."

*****

And through all the pain, through the sadness, she remembered why. One thought surfaced, above all others: "I…love him…"__

_Chapter Eleven: Why So Sad?_

__

Some time during the long night, Videl had settled onto the ground and curled up in a fetal position, for it was her back's protest at being bent in such a position for so long which woke her. Hardly rested, she forced herself awake to face the coming day. 

Her face hurt, her eyes were still red and sore from crying, and a bolt of pain shot up her back, coming to a stop in her head in the form of a throbbing headache. She clenched and unclenched her hands, which had cramped from clasping something in her palm the whole night. '_Strange_,_'_ she thought, staring down at the scrap of paper she was holding—though she held it with such ferocity, knuckles white, she didn't even remember picking it up, let alone what was written on it. Warily, she opened the crumpled note.

_Bulma—Dragonballs_

_Lookout_

Instantly she recognized the scrawling hand as Gohan's. _He'd_ written the note: written it and placed it in her hands as she slept. Looking up from the writing, her eyes grew wide—_he'd come back_. And she'd missed him. Though, she admitted to herself, it was probably just as well she'd been asleep when he returned (no doubt he planned it that way and had waited for her to fall asleep). She knew had she been conscious when he'd come back, she wouldn't have let him leave again.

Turning back to the task at hand, she contemplated the note. Bulma—Dragonballs. Dragonballs? What was a "Dragonball"? Bulma–maybe she'd know. Was that why he'd included her name? But then, what was this "Lookout"? A warning?

She hurriedly pushed herself into a standing position, drying her eyes of the fresh tears that had begun to accumulate in them, and folded the paper, setting it on her dresser as she changed. She deftly removed the sweat soaked training attire from the previous day's session and tossed them into the hamper, slipping into more presentable clothes. Allowing her black locks to hang loose for only a moment, she snapped her hair back into a tight ponytail, opting for this quicker style over her usual double-pigtails.

Monday—school, she realized. Would she go? Hardly. Her current task was so much more important. And...she didn't know if she could handle trudging up the stairs of that building alone, settling into her seat without him two seats over. Eresa would wonder where he was–Videl would lie, saying that she didn't know and didn't really care. Sharpner would make some snide remark about how he hadn't even noticed that the geek wasn't in his usual seat. That was how it would go, because that's how her life had been: her _normal_ life. Since Gohan had started revealing all these secrets to her, life had been anything _but_ normal.

Grabbing the crumpled note and stuffing it into a pocket, she dashed out of her room and up to the roof, narrowly missing one of the maids sent up the stairs to check on her. There was no time to waste with her father's questioning. No time–Gohan could already be gone.

She fired the engines and threw the plane into gear, swiftly scaling the heights into the fluffy whiteness of the upper altitudes. The tachometer climbed along with the plane, approaching speeds well above the legal limit for private aircraft, and the trip to Capsule Corp passed in what seemed to be an instant.

She didn't care where she landed–so long as it was some hard level surface, and in a flash the yellow machine sat in the domed building's front yard, with Videl slipping up to the front door and assaulting it with knocking. Inside, movements could be heard, quickening at the insistent pounding.

"I'm coming, I'm coming!" came an annoyed female voice. The door swung open. "You don't have to pou–Videl?"

"Where is he?" she gasped out, catching her breath from the rush.

Bulma appeared, for good reason, a bit confused. "He? Who—the Gold Fighter?"

Videl shook her head. "Gold Fighter, Saiyaman, Gohan, _whatever_ he's called now—where is he?" At the woman's sideways glance, she quickly explicated, "He told me. Gohan told me–everything."

"...Everything?" She beckoned the crime fighter inside and sat down on one of the couches. 

A nod. "About...Saiyans–his heritage, and how... there were two Gohans."

Bulma turned away from her, thinking, then realized, "Wait—'were'?"

"I don't–they got back together...he said. Last night. But, he left, 'cause he said he had to fight or something. He–he gave me this." She produced the paper she'd held onto so tightly through the night.

"Three words..." the scientist observed, her face having lost its confusion as she gravely perused the writing. "Bulma, Dragonballs...Lookout..."

Videl studied her face, searching for answers. Did she understand? "So...do you know where he is?"

She quickly looked up from the paper. "Y—you don't know?"

"No—that's why I came: To ask you, about this note and where Gohan was."

"He—they both left with you the other day, with you. I haven't seen either one since."

It clicked—Chichi. If anyone, _she_ would know where her son was. Videl pushed herself up and started towards the door.

"Wait! Videl!" Bulma called out, and she turned. "Where are you going?"

"To his house—his mom might know where he is." _'I hope,'_ she silently prayed.

A moment's pause, and then, "Is Gohan... in trouble or something?" She might need to send Vegeta up to the Lookout to get the full story. Videl was obviously not filled in on everything that was going on.

There was apparent doubt in the girl's eyes, and she hesitated, unsure of how to phrase her answer. "He said... that he had to go fight, and that..."

Bulma laid a comforting hand on her shoulder, worried. "That... what, Videl?" She had to push; if she didn't find out what was going on, there might be trouble ahead.

"That... he might not come back..." Her voice began to crack, even though she'd sworn she wouldn't reveal any of the previous night's emotional breakdown. It was enough to think that he might have—and probably _had—_seen her. 

Not come back? Bulma began to go over this statement, running it through her mind. Fight? What fight? What kind of new enemy could have surfaced over the past few days that she'd hadn't heard of? Even Vegeta hadn't sensed anything–but Gohan had apparently been summoned (to the Lookout?) to fight.

But he might not come back? Gohan doubted his own ability to fight? This might be more serious than Videl knew. Bulma handed back the paper, quietly urging, "Take this, and show it to Gohan's mother."

"But—what does it mean?"

She shook her head, rising from her seat. "I don't know if I should answer that. Tell Chichi I'm going to get help. She'll know what I mean."

"I—bu—" But the blue-haired scientist was already gone, leaving her protesting. Videl quickly recovered her senses, though, and dashed back out onto the front lawn, blasting into the sky, headed for the Son home nestled in the foothills of the distant mountains.

With Videl safely out of the way, Bulma pulled a chair up to the front closet, using it to reach the highest shelf. After a moment's rummaging around, she withdrew her hand from the dark corner, and was now clutching what appeared to be an overgrown compass.

_'Poor kid,'_ she thought sadly, running a finger over the dusty screen._ 'Never a moment's rest for him.'_

*****

Chichi was roused from her deep dreamless slumber by an incessant knocking sound, and awoke to find her eldest had left some time during the night. Her eyes, she knew, were bloodshot, and she quickly dabbed at them with her apron in an effort to make herself somewhat presentable. Casting a glance to the window as she trudged to the front hallway, her eyes began to throb as they were assaulted with sunlight streaming into the living room.

As she opened the door, though, all pretense was thrown aside, and she gazed upon perhaps the only other being on the planet who understood the grief which had taken over the mother, who felt the same sorrow Chichi did: Videl.

"...He's already gone, isn't he?" Slowly, Chichi nodded, feeling new tears threaten to spill over down her already chapped cheeks. "I knew it... I'm too late..." And it was at this defeated statement that Chichi's mother's instincts took over, and she pulled the girl she'd secretly hoped to call "daughter" close, comforting her in much the same way she herself had been comforted by Gohan mere hours before. Videl breathed long and deep, inhaling the perfume of the house, drawing in memories of him...Everything was covered in his scent, even Chichi...everything smelled just like _him_...

Chichi ran her hand through the girl's hair, as she'd done to Gohan when he would scrape his knee as a child and come running to her, crying, and her eye caught the paper Videl had tucked in her pocket.

"Videl—what..." The girl pulled back, hesitating to give up the nearest thing she had to Gohan, but in the end passed it to the mother.

Chichi swiftly perused the writing, eyes widening in a horrified stare. "Oh...God..." The slip dropped from her weakening grasp, fluttering to the ground, and Videl's focus shifted back and forth from it to the woman blanching before her. Chichi hobbled to the couch, breath coming in short quick gasps.

"Chichi—Mrs. Son! Wha–what?" She planted herself on the couch beside Gohan's mother, hand resting on her shoulders, steadying her. "Mrs. Son?"

Chichi covered her eyes quickly, feeling the oncoming flood. "He–he's not coming back..." came the barely whispered words.

Videl's own eyes grew wide for a moment, then narrowed, her voice hardening with refusal to accept the statement. "_What_?"

"My boy...he knows he's going to die..."

In an effort to snap the woman out of her trance, Videl rushed out, "H–how can you _say_ that? You don't even know where he is—how can you put that little faith in your own _son_?"

Chichi mentally shook her head, somehow amused by this girl's naiveté. "...You don't get it... there's so _much_ you don't understand about him...."

Videl admitted, "Maybe I don't know him as well as you do, but I'm _not_ giving up hope for him."

This time, Chichi physically shook her head, uncovering her eyes to look at the girl. "Dragonballs."

Her expression melted into one of confusion. "That was—on the note..." _Dragonballs–Bulma. Lookout_. 

Chichi nodded, eyes dropping as she lapsed back into the trance-like state she'd been pulled from, speaking softly, but still loud enough for Videl to hear. "He would never...never have asked us to get the Dragonballs...not unless he thought we might need them."

 What _were_ these Dragonballs? Humoring her, Videl questioned, "Need them...for _what_?"

This query pulled Chichi's gaze back level with Videl's. "To revive him. To bring him back. _From the dead_."

*****

Patiently, the Supreme Kai awaited the return of the newly rejoined Gohan atop the Lookout high above the earth with Kibito, Piccolo, Dende, and Mr. Popo. Or rather, the Kai, Kibito and Dende waited patiently, while Piccolo resorted to his usual bout of pacing and Mr. Popo attended to the daily chores about the temple.

In an instant, though, five gazes were turned to greet an inbound figure, backlit by a magnificent rising sun—perhaps, the Kai thought grimly, the last sunrise this poor planet might see should his predictions of Gohan's power be wrong. As he touched down on the tiled floor, Gohan quickly movied to make an apology for his previous abrupt exit, only to be stopped by the Supreme Kai.

"Don't worry about something as trivial as that right now, my boy. There are more pressing matters at hand; we should focus on the battle ahead. Babidi and the South Kai have naturally learned of your fusion, and that has made them that much more desperate in their preparations for war. Babidi is still trying to gather enough energy to release Majin Buu; they are not ready for battle."

"Then, wouldn't the best time to strike be…now?"

The god appeared thoughtful, hesitating, "It would appear so…"

Seeing this worried look cross the kai's face, Piccolo queried, "Sir? What is it?"

"Nothing really," he waved off the question, "Merely, I'm unsure of Babidi's reasoning behind not trying anything else with you, Gohan."

"But—shouldn't your spell have stopped him?"

He nodded. "Yes, an d I believe it did, but this wizard is hardly one to be thwarted by something so simple as the protection I've placed on you. He still needs to gather human energy to release his monster from its prison. We should be more careful now than ever."

"Well—waiting around speculating isn't doing anyone any good. I say we go see what those two are up to."

Looking up at the newly rejoined demi-Saiyan, the Kai smiled fondly. "You are truly your father's son, Gohan. I sense victory already with you in the lead!"

Gohan blushed crimson, stretching his hand behind his head in a nervous gesture.

*****

Babidi was frantic to say the least. Nervously pacing the thronechamber of his ship, he began mumbling incoherently to himself, leaving the South Kai to look on, helpless.

"Sir—I could try again…I might find _some_ weakne—"

"_No_! Idiot, why didn't you think of this earler, like when you put that blasted curse on the boy in the first place. You're a _Kai_, didn't you know about these—these, earrings, whatever they are?! We could've seen to it that they were destroyed, or better yet, we could've lured one of thoase halves to us, destroyed it, and this whole mess could've been avoided. But you didn't, and _now_ look!"

"Forgive me, Master, but the Sup—"Babidi waved him off, waxing further into a rage with each passing moment.

"We're still gathering energy to release Buu—what we need is _time_. The Kai and that brat could be on their way right now; and now he's more powerful than ever…" He rubbed his wrinkled yellow chin thoughtfully, beady eyes narrowing. "…South Kai!"

The god snapped to attention. "Sir?"

"We cannot work directly on the boy any longer, your former master has seen to that…But what about someone close to him?"

After a moment, the god caught on. "You mean…a hostage?"

"Yes, but…it can't be just _any_one, it must be someone he has a close bond with—a parent, perhaps? Didn't you say he was particularly close with his father?"

The Kai searched his own memory, his mind linked with those of the other three Kais, and his lips curled into a malignant smile. "I think I know someone better…"

*****

"So, you use them to bring people back…from the dead?" Videl concluded as Chichi explained Gohan's reasoning behind writing "Dragonballs" on the paper he had given Videl.

"They can be used for that," she verified wearily. The whole ordeal of losing her eldest had thoroughly exhausted the mother; Videl, however, was still eager to learn more of Gohan and his mission: Where _was_ he? What was this "Lookout," and how did Bulma Briefs figure into it all? Clearly, though, Chichi lacked the energy to continue the conversation.

"Mrs. Son," she suggested gently, "Why don't you lie down and take a nap?" A faint tapping sound reached the women's ears, and they turned to the window. Outside, a light shower had begun to fall, spraying a fine mist over everything and leaving behind tiny clusters of diamonds in the bushes and trees. "I'll take care of the kitchen work."

The mother moved to protest, feeling now was the time to make her move. "No—we can't…we shouldn't stay here." Videl halted dragging Chichi from the room, turning to look, confused, at her.

"Ma'am?" She noticed Chichi rubbing her temples, eyes scrunched in concentration.

"We can't stay here: We have to get to Bulma. To Capsule Corp." She turned to look Videl in the face, losing her weary expression and becoming more determined. "We should leave before this shower turns into anything worse." She moved towards the door, and after a moment's hesitation, Videl followed, trusting that Chichi had good reason to head for the Briefs' home.

"We'll take my jet copter; it can handle weather like this easily." In the few minutes that had passed since the rain had started, the shower had evolved into a steady downpour, and the women quickly dashed from the doorway to the hulking yellow machine, hopping in and pulling the hatch closed behind them. As Videl started up the engines, she noticed that Chichi still had the note, its ink now smeared by raindrops, clutched in her grasp.

They lifted into the air, and Videl deftly punched the Capsule Corporation coordinates into the flight computer, leaving the autopilot to do the work. Turning to Chichi, she questioned, "If you don't mind my asking, why Bulma? Why are we going to Capsule Corp. at all?" Chichi looked up at the girl now, face blank, and Videl continued, a bit more softly. "I…I can't help feeling a little…left out. Like there's a lot going on between you and Gohan and Mrs. Briefs that I just don't know about. You're all so close…" She admitted, "I know you don't know me that well, but…I _do_ care for Gohan, as much as, if not more than, you. So just, please…tell me the truth: Is he in trouble?"

Chichi let the girl finish speaking her mind, then offered up a wan smile. Videl really was _something_, and she now knew what Gohan saw in her: Spirit. Not the ki that he and Goku and all the Z-fighters used in battle, but an animated soul. Fiery and soft, feisty and gentle, both at once, just as Gohan could be. He was one being in battle, and a whole different one in peacetime. He and Videl, she saw, completed each other.

She spoke. "I have known Bulma Briefs for a _very_ long time. We're not really friends, but our families have been through so _much_ together, that we've grown accustomed to holding onto one another for support in times like this."

"Times…like this? You mean, this has happened _before_?"

A nod. "Is Gohan in trouble? I'm fairly certain he's in more trouble now than he's ever been in before. He wants us to gather the Dragonballs, because he doesn't know if he's going to be able to win this fight he's in, or at least survive it. He's too much like his father to let himself just get killed without making some sort of sacrifice out of it…Bulma is the only one with access to the Dragon radar; _that's_ why we're going to Capsule Corp: to honor my son's last request." 

Rain now pounded furiously against the windshield, and Videl was glad she could rely on the autopilot to guide them to their destination. Water swirled in eddies upon the glass, twisting this way and that from the force of the wind as the plane hurtled through the air. "I know you like him…and I know he likes you."

Videl's face flushed as she lowered her gaze, tucking a strand of her hair behind her ear and squeaking out, "Y—yeah…I guess it's kinda obvious now…"

"And you feel left out of our lives, it's understandable. Our…circle of friends…has many secrets, mostly for the good of the planet. Don't worry." She patted Videl's leg in a motherly manner. "You'll learn more about us than you'd probably like in no time."

Videl sighed and nodded, accepting the woman's assurance. "Can _you_…answer a question for me, though? Gohan's not exactly in a position to do it…"

Chichi blinked at her quizzically for a moment. "I suppose so; what is it?"

"He…Gohan started to tell me about…the Cell Games." Videl didn't miss the quick draw-in of breath from Chichi as she uttered this statement. "But, something would come up every time, and he'd avoid it, or get sidetracked, or _something_, and never finish." She paused, wondering how to phrase her question. _Did he beat Cell?_ No, that wasn't it really… "Why…why is he so _sad_ sometimes?" Yes, that was more like it; she wanted to know him, to know more about him. So, what _was_ it that got him about those games?

The mother nodded firmly. "I don't know if I should be the one to tell you this; Gohan probably started so that you wouldn't hear it from anyone else—"

"But I _want_ to know—" Chichi held up a hand.

"I understand, really. So…I wasn't there: I can't give you any blow-by-blow account of that battle. If that's what you're looking for, then I'd say you should ask your father. Everything I know I either saw on television or learned from…other sources." _'Best not to mention Baba right now,' _she noted. "But I've heard my boy recount over and over again what went on between him and that monster. Over and over, because what he saw, what he went through that day, would _never_ leave his mind. And that is something no eleven-year-old should have to live with.

"His father was the first of our group to fight, after _your_ father, and after only a few minutes, he passed the task onto Gohan. Said he knew _he_ couldn't win, but that there was someone more powerful who _could_: his son. What he didn't know was that my boy was not a fighter, not then, not now. He had the power, yes, but not the _will_. He wasn't like Goku. And so…Cell goaded him into fighting by killing off his friends, one by one.

"That was when Gohan snapped to the other extreme. He was fighting—fighting, and winning—but hardly thinking of anything beyond his emotions at that moment. He wanted to play a bit with Cell, to punish him, but not to kill him—yet. Cell became desperate and bloated himself with energy hoping to destroy the Earth, and that's when Goku stepped back in. Like some noble martyr, thinking of nothing more than the good of the planet, he transported Cell and himself far away from the battlefield. Sacrificed himself…to save us all." More tears threatened to spill over the banks of Chichi's eyes, a few droplets succeeding. 

"It wound up for nothing, really. Cell came back, stronger than ever, and Gohan was left all alone to fight him." She blinked away the tears and gave a sniff, reminiscing. "I still don't know _how_ he found the strength to beat Cell…but then, I don't think I ever really understood his strength. That was always Goku's area…For weeks, months after the battle, Gohan would just sit in his room and stare out the window into the sky for hours. I tried to get him out of the house some, even sent him off to a friend's house to train, but his heart wasn't in it. He didn't speak much, wouldn't get out, and stopped visiting our friends.

"And then, Goten came along, and Gohan just…turned around; he was a completely different person. He smiled more, helped me out around the house, played with little Goten, periodically went into town… but he never trained anymore. He used to love the thrill of a good spar, he said, but that was usually with Goku, and usually in preparation for an upcoming battle. When his father left…I think Gohan promised to never train again…If no one depended on him, then he couldn't let anyone down.

"You wanted to know why he was so sad…I'd say he has good reason."

Videl now flashed back to the one-sided conversations she'd had with the Saiyan Gohan. His breakdowns before her when he would lapse into some memory of past battles, thinking aloud. He blamed himself for his father's death _still_…she felt a great swell of pity for him.

*****

"Well? Which one, Kai?"

"The younger one." He extended a lavishly robed arm to point out the target. "Of late, your little obstacle has become _quite_ close to her. She should suit our purposes well."

"Stop thinking in the past, Kai," Babidi chided, "_Ex_-obstacle."

The god chuckled, "Of course, sir."

"And what about that other one? Does she have any energy to speak of?"

"It's negligible, sir. No need to waste our time with draining her."

"Right, I'll grab the one we came for; you stay behind and clean up the mess." The Kai nodded his assent.

So engrossed in their conversation were Chichi and Videl, that they didn't notice the two robed figures hurtling towards them until it was too late, crashing the copter to the ground, and after being knocked out by the South Kai, neither woman knew much more of anything. Babidi shoved Videl roughly into a pocket dimension and moved to head back to the ship, calling back, "Don't take too long with this; the brat and Supreme Kai will be arriving any moment now."

As his master disappeared into the night, the South Kai slowly turned back to the jet copter wreckage before him, and to the unconscious Chichi who lay at his feet. He bent down, and, seizing her by the head, he lifted her up until she was level with him.

"You know, woman, I lost _quite_ a large bet at the Other World Tournament thanks to that smarmy husband of yours…Super Saiyan, pah! Where is he now? Certainly not here to save _you_…"

Smiling grimly, an evil glint in his eye, he added, "Husbands and wives should be together: Why don't I send you to meet up with him?"

—END CHAPTER ELEVEN—

_Post-chapter Notes:_ Another chapter down, who knows how many more to go. I've got a few more twists to add before I finish up this story, so hang tight. Remember, more uploads, more often! For now, let me know what this chapter did for you, and how you think I can improve it. Want e-mail notice of updates? Send me a note at orofangwen@fr.st, and I'll put you on the list! Thanks always!


	13. The Storm Rolls In

_Author's Notes: _Ok, after a nasty bout with reality and wrestling that waffy one-shot onto the computer, I'm back with more! _Dark Shift_ is over, so that means I can fully devote myself to this fic. I know in the past few chapters it's been a lot of introspective stuff, and I felt I wasn't giving the actual plot of the story adequate attention. I hope this one finds a nice balance between action and the "thinking" stuff. Rejoice, all my faithful followers, and strap in. It's about to get bumpy…

_Last time on It's a Start:_

Chichi covered her eyes quickly, feeling the oncoming flood. "He—he's not coming back..." came the barely whispered words.

*****

Humoring her, Videl questioned, "Need them...for _what_?"

This query pulled Chichi's gaze back level with Videl's. "To revive him. To bring him back. _From the dead_."

*****

"We cannot work directly on the boy any longer, your former master has seen to that…But what about someone close to him?"

After a moment, the god caught on. "You mean…a hostage?"

*****

Smiling grimly, an evil glint in his eye, he added, "Husbands and wives should be together: Why don't I send you to meet up with him?"

_Chapter Twelve: The Storm Rolls In_

Bulma Briefs stood on the front lawn of the Capsule Corporation building in a thin white lab-coat, shivering as another powerful gust whipped through the city. She stared into the steel-gray sky, frowning at the thunderheads rolling in, and worriedly glanced down at her watch every few minutes.__

_'Almost 7:00…where are they?' _As their sons grew up and began to play together more and more often, Son Chichi and Bulma had begun to, themselves, grow closer, discovering that they had many things in common besides Saiyan husbands. With the Sons practically cut off from civilization, arguments about politics or any other such topics rarely arose; they would, instead, chat about old times, the present, and sometimes even about the future—the subject of Gohan's imminent marriage to the lovely Videl came up quite frequently. Though they might occasionally get into a tiff about which husband—or son, for that matter—was stronger, both women resolved to end each visit with a smile on her face and a light heart. They could afford to carry no grudges.

Bulma had urged Chichi to come and stay with her at Capsule Corp. if there were ever _any_ problem, and she'd been almost certain that this was where Goku's wife would have Videl rush them as soon as she read the note—especially knowing Bulma had the only Dragon radar in existence. But Videl had left _hours_ ago, and still there was no sign of them in the sky. She'd tried raising them on the radio frequency reserved for members of the Satan household, but to no avail; all she was answered with was static. _'Maybe it's just the storm…'_ Or maybe that was just wishful thinking.

Sighing, she trudged back into the shelter of the dry house as the first few rain droplets reached her front steps. Gohan was gone—where? No one knew—and now Chichi and Videl were missing…something just wasn't right about all this. But Vegeta had sensed nothing, nor—she assumed—had any of the other Z warriors, or they would have _surely_ notified her. That left only those members of their group atop a certain Lookout, those who hardly _ever_ came down.

Wandering the maze of hallways, she found her husband at his usual post, in front of the control panel of the Gravity Room, adjusting its settings to accommodate the two demi-Saiyans he was to train with shortly. "Something's wrong, Vegeta," she began worriedly; he didn't even look up to acknowledge her presence.

"You're telling me," he replied derisively, "I'm stuck in this dump with a woman yelling at me all the time, two children to spar with, and a sub-par gravity chamber…" His eyes never left the panel, and he continued to fiddle with the dials.

She hardened her gaze as his mouth curved up into a smirk, believing he'd successfully ticked his woman off. Instead of offering a scathing reply, she merely returned, "I'm serious," in a steady voice. His grin quickly faded and he now looked up, his dark eyes peering up at her from underneath furrowed brows. "It's about Gohan…"

Crossing his arms, he pressed, "What about the boy?" Bulma lowered her voice so as not to needlessly frighten the two boys changing a few rooms down, and quickly breezed through an explanation of all that had happened in the past couple of days, or at least all that was clear to her at the moment.

"So, he is one again…but how?" The scientist shrugged; all she knew was that it was through no action of her own. "And you want me to see if those Nameks know anything about what's going on, is that it?" A nod, and he closed his eyes, musing, "I don't know _why_ I do such things for you…"

She smiled, laying a hand on his well-defined arm, fingering the fabric. "Because, deep down, you really _do_ care, Vegeta."

His eyes snapped back open, malice blazing out as flames as he glared at the woman menacingly. "If that _ever_ gets out…" He left the threat hanging between them, and Bulma had to suppress a girlish giggle at his tough-guy façade.

Running a finger over her chest in an "X" pattern, she promised, "Not a word!"

*****

The clouds above seemed to have no bottoms, swirling ever upwards, and it appeared no matter how high Vegeta flew he simply could not rise above the steady downpour, forced to grudgingly bear the driving rain. His ki barrier, extending a mere inch out from his flesh, gave little protection save to keep his clothes dry; with a low growl, he wiped his eyes again.

This was merely ritual, though—he could barely have seen now even if there wasn't a cloud in the sky, so dark was it. He'd been flying at top speed for nearly an hour, not only fighting the water pelting him from all sides, but also dodging lightning strikes and constantly being blown off course by violent wind gusts. Were he not blessed with an innate sense of direction, he would surely be lost now. Instead, he noted, he was nearing his final destination, currently passing over the fields around the Son home.

He cast a quick glance downwards, and his eye was caught by bright flashing lights, dozens of them, all gathered below—ground lightning? No, he observed as he dipped down curiously. This was no natural light, with its varying red and blue hues. This was the human police force—and there were quite a few units gathered in particular around a twisted smoldering heap of yellow metal.

Alighting on the roof of one of the emergency vehicles scattered about the scene, he stared intently at the men rushing about from car to car, gathering snippets of conversations as they yelled into small radios:

"…license plate zero-niner-niner…"

"…yellow jet-copter, private owner, series X3M…"

"…registered 'Satan, Videl'…"

Satan…Satan, where had he heard that name before? Wait…wasn't that the name of that fool Hercule who ponced around nowadays claiming that _he_ had saved the world those seven years ago? Yes, he remembered it well now. Hercule Satan—but then, who was this "Videl"? A relative of his, no doubt.

The force of realization slamming into him would have sent even Cell reeling to his knees. Videl Satan—this was the girl Gohan had been so chummy with for the past few days. The brat had brought her into his home before, and she'd come running back there when he'd first separated. What had happened to her, though? Perhaps _she _had some information on the whereabouts of her boyfriend now. He listened more intently now, focusing his senses on the human he'd deduced to be the leader of the group.

"…them send in the report, Donovan. 'Satan, Videl: missing; Jane Doe: dead,' at 8:13 P.M…"

His post atop the ambulance beneath him rocked suddenly as its doors were heaved open, breaking the Saiyan prince's concentration and sending him falling onto his stomach. He muffled a cry of surprise, allowing the two attendants to load a stretcher, its occupant covered in a stiff white sheet, onto the bed of the truck. Closing one of the double doors, they walked back to the wreckage to gather up their supplies.

Once they were out of sight, Vegeta stealthily slipped to the ground with cat-like finesse and turned to the truck door, opening it back up, gazing icily upon the dead body.

Dead…no longer alive…lost. Though this body deserved to now rest in peace, he held it up for a moment longer, and tugged down the sheet to view the face of the victim fully.

His eyes widened in shock at the sight, and he barely managed to breathe out, "…Kakkarot's mate…?" For it _was_ Chichi, but not as he'd ever seen the woman before; her eyes were closed to the world, but her neck lolled to the side at an unnatural angle, and her hair was knotted and matted with blood, part of her skull having been crushed. He scoured his mind, pulling up files on enemies of Earth…whatever had done this—_who_ever had done this—had not caught her awake or by surprise. Had he seen merely her face, he might have deemed her asleep. Ohh…Kakkarot would _not_ be happy about _this_.

Nor, he noted, would the boy. Remembering now his purpose for flying all the way out here, he blasted off back to the storm.

*****

The Nameks had sensed Vegeta's impending arrival since he left the Capsule Corp. premises, monitoring his movements with curiosity. They noticed him tarrying in the gully some few miles from the Son home for quite some time before continuing on up to the Lookout. Perhaps he was merely searching for Gohan, they supposed, Whatever his reasons, he was now close enough that the former and present guardians could make out his form when lightning flashes lit up the skies around their home.

"Where is he?" Vegeta called out as he landed, struggling to be heard over the raging storm. Though an unnatural barrier of invisible power surrounding the Lookout kept out the rain, it could not block the thunderous booms following the lightning strikes. "Something's happening around here—something big, and you two had better come clean about it _real_ soon."

Piccolo frowned, strongly disliking this Saiyan bossing him around. He turned to look over his shoulder at the young Namek behind him, a questioning expression on his face.

_'They're all going to start wondering very soon…we may as well tell him, and he can relay the message to the others.'_ After all, they were _all_ Earth's special forces, not just Gohan, and they _all_ deserved to know what was happening.

Dende nodded his confirmation, and Piccolo turned back to Vegeta, still frowning, and beckoned him to follow him into one of the quieter inner temples. "Gohan is gone," he began as they crossed the threshold, shutting the great double doors behind them, "He's gone to fight the monster Majin Buu alongside the Supreme Kai and his servant Kibito." A pause settled upon the room, and he smiled inwardly as he watched the proud Saiyan prince's disdainful frown fade into an expression of "deer-in-headlights" confusion. "A lot has happened lately that neither you, nor Bulma, nor any of the others have been informed of, Vegeta." Crossing his arms, he continued.

"Recently Gohan was somehow split in two, his Saiyan side confined in one body, his human side in another—this you know. What you _don't_ know, is why." A nod from the Saiyan. "…Have you ever met the South Kai, ruler and overseer of the South quadrant of space?" Vegeta shook his head "no"; he'd only been dead a short while—how _could_ he have met those who resided among the upper echelons of the realm of the dead? "Well, this kai recently turned—he betrayed his fellow gods and the entire universe by allying himself with a powerful wizard by the name of Babidi."

"…Wizard?" Vegeta snorted incredulously. "What, is he threatening to pull a bunny from his hat and terrorize the Earth with it?"

"Hardly," Piccolo retorted coldly, unmiffed by the remark. "He used the South Kai's powers to separate Gohan as you've seen him, thereby eliminating the only obstacle between himself and universal rule."  

"How so?" he queried, still chuckling to himself at his own joke.

"With Gohan's power distributed so unevenly in two bodies, he can no longer stand up to the monster Babidi is gathering energy to release—Majin Buu."

_'Buu?__ What kind of a name is Buu?'_ Vegeta rolled his eyes as the alien finished his dramatic recitation. "So…where exactly does a Supreme Kai fit into all this?"

"He came to rejoin the two Gohans, which he successfully did just yesterday. As soon as he was ready to fight, Gohan flew off with the Kai and his servant Kibito to find Babidi's ship and halt his plans."

"Well," he replied lazily, staring down at the floor and smiling, "why don't you tell me where they are. If I know his strength—and I _do_—that brat's going to need all the help he can get in a fight."

"No." Vegeta's eyes shot back up level with Piccolo's. "You are too weak to help."

His gaze darkened, freezing in a cold stare. "_What_?"

"The word of the Supreme Kai himself. _No one_ can match Gohan's power now. Not you, not Goku, not anyone. That was why they attacked only him—because no one else mattered. If that boy cannot defeat Buu, then there's no one who _can_."

Contemptuously, he sneered, "How can you speak like that, so hopelessly? I though you _cared_ for this measly little planet—you won't even tell me—"

"Because you _can't_ help, not this time. Picture a man trying to move a boulder. If an ant comes along and starts pushing as well, how much difference will it make? _None_. If that man can't push it alone, then it certainly can't be pushed with the ant's help. _You_ are the ant this time, Vegeta. Gohan may as well step on you."

Seething with anger, it took all the will power the Saiyan had gained over the years not to blow this Namek before him to kingdom come. Instead, he muttered the first thought that entered his head. "Kakkarot's mate is dead. And his brat's mate is missing." The change of subject was good.

"Wha—?!" exclaimed Piccolo, with Dende unable to form words. His arms dropped to his sides as he struggled to comprehend the revelation. "Wha—how—wait…when—when you stopped near Gohan's house…"

Vegeta nodded. "The humans were already combing through the wreckage; I stuck around to find out what was going on, and overheard them list the girl as missing and the woman as dead. I _saw_ the woman's body—dead as a doornail, her skull was crushed."

Piccolo could only cover his face with one hand, murmuring, "This isn't good…they know Gohan's coming. And the girl…I don't even want to _think_ about what he'll do when he finds out."

_'Perhaps,'_ a light voice echoed in all their minds,_ 'this is exactly what we need. This may in fact be the final straw which will drive the boy to destroy Babidi and the South Kai.'_

"S-Supreme Kai…?" Piccolo breathed, a little surprised that the god had been eavesdropping on their conversation.

'It was Babidi and the Kai who took the girl and killed the woman—of that I am certain. However—I do not want Gohan to know of these events yet.'

"But, why, sir?" Dende questioned.

_'Gohan must be taken by surprise when Babidi uses her as a bargaining chip. If he knows of this beforehand, he may begin to plan his actions, losing any on-the-spot thinking. We can't have him contemplating consequences—he must think of nothing but saving her…and killing Babidi.'_

Vegeta sat on the proverbial sidelines, observing the conversation distantly, gauging the strengths and weaknesses of the Kai's plan. It was time to intercede. "One moment," he called out during a lull in the telepathic chat. "You're forgetting something, Kai."

Giving a mental frown, but humoring the man just the same, the god responded, _'And what might that be, Vegeta?'_

"You forget—the boy cares for the girl _too_ much. Too much to do anything rash. As soon as he learns of her situation, he will check his emotions, tone them down, lest he somehow endanger her well-being with his good intentions." This was exactly why love was a weakness—and he was sorry to say that he himself had succumbed to it. If anything like this ever happened to him, well…he didn't doubt that someday he might find himself in Gohan's position. "What Babidi says, he will do—_whatever_ he says. He's a simpering milk-sop of a half-Saiyan, not fit to rank himself with our race."

_'I think…you judge Gohan too harshly, Vegeta,'_ came the cool reply, and the Saiyan "hmph"ed, crossing his arms and closing his eyes. _'You conjecture based on outward observations, tainted with your own opinions of the boy. I speak as before with the knowledge of actually seeing into his mind._

_'I feel his emotions still inside me, his joys and sorrows. I sense him forever weighing events on a balance, discerning consequences to follow. His emotions float in a slough amidst memories and worry—what can he do? Can he possibly make any difference? How?—but deep inside, hidden in his heart, he keeps a terrible beast, thrashing about, bound in chains of unconscious will. Babidi will break them—I have seen it. And in doing so he will unwittingly unleash this beast Gohan keeps in secret._

_'You call him a simpering milk-sop, not fit to call himself a Saiyan.' _A mental smile formed in the minds of the Lookout's occupants. _'I've watched your race for quite some time, Vegeta…It was like a little pet to me, I guess you could say. I shifted events throughout history, always in your favor whether you deemed them to be or not—your triumph over the rivals for your planet…quite a fortunate coincidence the first full moon in ages appeared on the night of that fateful battle, eh? And Frieza…well, lucky the one you call "Kakkarot"—the most powerful pure-blood—escaped to Earth before that dictator came and destroyed your planet, wasn't it?_

_'Gohan, though, has found the golden mean in himself. One half peaceful, desirous of knowledge, caring—one half powerful, desirous of the thrill of the fight, cunning. Simpering milk-sop? Hardly…he is exactly what I envisioned for all Saiyans; he has achieved balance, stability. The only fault I see is that half of his heritage had to be sacrificed for my desires to come to fruition…'_

Vegeta slowly opened his eyes, dark and foreboding with no light escaping their depths, still staring at the floor. His frown deepened, forming creases upon the features of an otherwise perfectly chiseled face. 

He was _no one_'s pet.

*****

"Oohh…" Man, speaking hurt. A lot. In fact, as she tested her limbs tentatively, she discovered that pretty much any kind of movement pained her. Thinking was starting to hurt as well.

Making a concerted effort to ignore the pain emanating from her skull, she willed her eyes open…_what had happened_? She stretched her memory—the last thing she remembered was…flying. With Chichi. In her jet-copter.

Well, she was definitely no longer in her copter, she wasn't—as far as she could tell—flying, and Chichi was nowhere to be seen. Of course, there wasn't a lot _to_ see. This was…a cell. Yes, that was how best to describe it. There were no bars, but then, none were needed. She was surrounded on three sides by steel—_thick_ steel, from the sound of it as she rapped on the floor a few times. The only difference between the fourth side and the other three was the presence of a small door, most likely to deliver meals to prisoners. Craning her head around as she sat upright on the floor, she gauged her surroundings.

One door, four walls, no furniture, no ventilation system, no windows—what kind of a prison _was_ this?

Her throat was dry and scratchy, sore from disuse, and she waited until she'd worked up a coating of saliva before attempting to speak again. "…H-Hello?" she hazarded, shivering as her voice echoed loudly in the small room, bouncing from wall to wall. She stood up and called again, one hand on the wall above the small door, "Can anyone hear me? Hello? I'm awake now…" On second thought, did she _really_ want whoever had put her in this room to know she was conscious?

She sank back down to the floor against the wall, pulling her knees up to her chin. Where was _Gohan_?…Did he have anything to do with where she was now? Did the final clue on that paper hold the answer? "Lookout"? She'd been so _close_ to finding out, then _this_ happened…but where was Chichi? Videl hoped nothing bad had happened to the woman. Maybe she was also—

_'Ah, awake already, my dear?'_ She quickly scrambled to her feet, eyes darting around the room._ 'My, my, and I would've pegged you as out for another hour at least…' _The voice sneered in her mind, squeaky, scratchy, both at once. She tried to block it by covering her ears, but to no avail. _'Oh!'_ The voice was offended._ 'You don't like listening to me? I'm hurt! But don't worry—you won't be kept waiting for long, just until that brat and the kai arrive. Then, I'm afraid I'll have no more use for you…Dear me, what shall I do with you? I'm sure __South Kai__ will think of something.'_

"Wh—who are you?…What do you want with me?" she called out, making a visible effort to keep her voice steady, still scanning the room for the owner of the voice in her head.

_'You?!'_ the voice laughed._ 'What ever would make you think I want anything with you? Oh no, no, you are merely my little bit of security just to make sure that boy, that Son Gohan, doesn't go and do anything too rash that might upset my plans…Strange, I simply don't understand what he sees in you—too tall and lanky for my tastes.'_

Videl might have been slightly offended had she not been battling a storm of other emotions at the time. Fear, anxiety, worry, anger, confusion, despair, hope; they all vied for her attentions, but she could acknowledge only one at a time. Right now, it was confusion's turn.

"…Wha—what do you want with _Gohan_?"

_'I merely want him not to interfere with my purpose on Earth—that is all I require. And with you here, I have a strong feeling he'll comply.'_

Great, so she was blackmail material! _No one_ treated a Satan this way—after all, her father had…oh, wait… "…And your purpose would be?"

A mental sigh from her captor blew through her mind. _'…You bore me, girl. I've no time to answer such banal questions—besides, I've got a few more important tasks at hand right now; in fact, I can sense him arriving right now! Why don't you just sit there and look helpless for a while? I'll be back for you soon.'_

"Hey—!" But the voice was gone. "Hello? Hel—come back, you! Come back and talk to me! _Now_!" Darn…it seemed yelling wouldn't work right now. She lowered her eyes in defeat. 

"…Gohan…"

*****

"We've been tracking him for _quite_ some time now. Long before he'd even thought about the Earth, we were already following his movements. Bibidi hid Buu's container back at the end of the First Majin War, and his whereabouts were lost to the Kais. He simply disappeared from existence, it seemed, which was perfectly fine with us." 

"Then, what happened to bring about this new threat with Babidi?"

"Well, deep down, though he was gone, we all feared that since he was never _truly_ destroyed, he would always pose a danger. He would always be there, haunting us, threatening to come back and destroy us all. Thankfully now—at this time of his unleashing—he is reborn in a universe where one exists who _can_ beat him."

Gohan gulped nervously, glad that the god and servant couldn't see his worried expression as they flew along in the dark. "Guess that's me, huh?"

A nod, though none could see it. "When Babidi started becoming active in his quest to resurrect Buu, gathering support for his cause, I made it a point to interfere as little as possible with his plans—to try and lure him into a false sense of security. We tracked him as he moved throughout the universe, from quadrant to quadrant, and when he reached the Earth, it didn't take long to deduce why. He'd begun gathering energy to break the seal long before he came here, and now he merely needs the smallest bit, one last burst to top it off."

"Right—so, you want me to take out Babidi first?"

"Yes. The kai doesn't know the spell to release Buu, and if we can manage to kill the wizard quickly enough, then we won't even need to worry about the monster. This Second Majin War will be over before it is begun, and you will have saved the entire universe. Again."

Gohan frowned. The universe…save the whole _universe_…what kind of responsibility was _that_? Why did it have to come to him—why did it seem to _always_ come to him? He could never escape it, this curse of his power. What if…what if the Supreme Kai was wrong? From what he'd heard, fighting this Majin Buu would't exactly be a walk in the park—in fact, if things had gone differently before, he probably wouldn't even be _alive_ to be worrying about fighting.

So, what if he _couldn't_ do it? Could he, Son Gohan, son of the most powerful pure-blooded Saiyan, really have the kind of power this being spoke of? Was it possible? He still, _still_ did not feel it rushing through his veins. He sensed no sudden welling up of energy in his body, no surge of confidence that yes, he _was_ the strongest in the universe. Could he…_win_? Save them all?

_'Of course!__ You're a Saiyan—you shouldn't even be having these doubts!'_ he could almost hear his alien blood sneering at him. _'How can you have doubts with me in you? Power—it's yours! We'll win!'_

And, what of the human half? _'I don't know how, but I can feel it as well. We will win, because we have to. You have to. I must win._

_'Human—Saiyan.__ It matters not what I am, for I am both, and I feel them coming together at last. I feel their thoughts finally merging, no longer separate and striving for separate means, pushing in two directions, but as one soul. Now, with a common goal—to beat this, to win the day. This…this is all that matters: that we, you, I win…'_

Gohan closed his coal-black eyes to the coal-black night and flew on in silence. If either the Supreme Kai or Kibito spoke again, then he neither heard nor noticed it.

_'I am not human. I am not Saiyan. I am not even half-Saiyan…I am Son Gohan, and I am coming for you, Babidi.'_

Mere miles away, Babidi shivered as he climbed up the chute connecting the inner workings of his ship to the outside world. They were coming, and very near now. He'd thought the ship had been hidden well enough—with it buried underground, even if you flew over and looked right at it, you wouldn't notice it unless you were truly _looking_ for it. Apparently, however, _somehow_ the Kai had found him.

Though the night was dark—the waxing moon provided little light—Babidi didn't need nocturnal vision to sense the three energies speeding towards his hideout.

"Kai!" he called out to his servant. "Come to me, now! They are nearly upon us. Have you done as I requested?"

The traitorous god climbed up to join his master. "Exactly as you commanded, Sir. The girl is ready and waiting in the room."

"Wonderful…" Both lifted their eyes now to the incoming kis. One was exceptionally larger than the other two, and it didn't take an expert in ki detection to pinpoint it as Gohan. The others were the Supreme Kai and that sycophantic servant of his, Kibito. The wind picked up around the ship, ruffling the South Kai's long robes and sending Babidi's cape flapping behind him, nearly dragging the small creature to the ground.

As if they were beings from some sidereal realm, Gohan, the Kai, and Kibito gently alighted upon the dusty ground, hardly making any sound, a few yards from Babidi. The area in a radius of twenty feet from the group was lit up clear as day by the demi-Saiyan's glowing aura—though, the light was merely a sign he was powering up, nothing more.

"…So _good_ to finally meet you in person, boy. I've heard great things about you…" the wizard began softly, lips curling up into a devious smile.

"Wish I could say the same of _you_, Babidi," Gohan spat back, each word dripping with disdain. "The Supreme Kai neglected to tell me my opponent would be so…short."

The wicked smile faded; this boy was _obviously_ not one to observe the niceties of introduction before they commenced their attempts at destroying one another. "Well then, I regret to inform you that _I_ will not be your opponent."

"Oh, yes, now I remember," he fired back tauntingly. "That Majin Buu creature of yours, right? I was under the impression that he wasn't available, though…something about you not having gathered enough energy to release him?"

The Supreme Kai eyed Gohan anxiously from behind as he silently observed the seemingly pointless banter going on between the demi-Saiyan and Babidi—he was wasting precious time! From the look on the wizard's face, Gohan was correct in assuming Buu hadn't been released yet—so what was he _waiting_ for?

He missed seeing the eager smirk cross Gohan's face as Babidi's expression paled in fear, but he did _not_ miss him gradually sinking into a fighting stance, arms raised at the ready.

He was going to _fight_? "Gohan!" he hissed just loud enough for him to hear. "What are you _doing_? Stop wasting time and kill him—now!"

"I am," he responded coldly, having lost any hesitation he might have had before, and leaned his weight forward, preparing to strike with lightning celerity before the wizard or lesser kai could respond.

The weight shift, unfortunately, didn't pass unnoticed—nor was it unexpected by the duo. All fear fled from Babidi's face, replaced with the smile he'd worn at Gohan's arrival. He raised a single hand and snapped—a screen popped into existence between Gohan and Babidi, and he had to react quickly to stop himself from flying into it. "Something I think you might want to consider before attacking, my boy…"

Before he could respond, the screen buzzed to life, and Gohan felt the strength suddenly flee his arms and legs, nearly sending him to his knees. How he managed to stay standing up was beyond his ken at the moment. "…Videl…" She wandered around a small room, pacing worriedly, banging on a small door and occasionally opening her mouth to yell—there was no sound from it, though. Tearing himself from the image, Gohan shook his head to clear his thoughts. "You—where _is _she? What'd you do to her?" he growled.

Behind the screen, Babidi's grin merely widened, and he gave not a word in response.

_'Gohan,'_ the normally calming voice of the Supreme Kai failed to comfort him._ 'Gohan—do not pay any attention to him; you must strike now. Do not think, do. He can't do anything to her if he's dead.'_

"But…" he spoke aloud, words fail him. "Videl…she—"

_'Kill him!'_ The rage was evident in the thought_. 'Now, Gohan—or he will surely kill her. He is desperate to release Buu, that is all that matters, and that girl's life is nothing to him, nothing but a tool he can use to manipulate you with. Take him down now!'_

Gohan still hesitated, and with a mental shove, he pushed the boy's astral form forward, inadvertently propelling his physical form forward a step as well from the shock. The demi-Saiyan grabbed his head in frustration, releasing another growl.

"Kai! You tell your monkey he'd better hold his ground—or else!" the garbled and scratchy voice called out defensively, sensing the internal conflict between his enemies. "One more step, and I snap my fingers again." Gohan looked up, eyes wide, but behind them was evident fury, "You may be fast, little boy, but do you think you're fast _enough_?"

_'Videl…forgive me…'_ He cast a quick glance at the image—she was now sitting in the middle of the floor, eyes shut as she massaged her temples wearily. "No—I _know_ I'm fast enough."

Before he'd even finished the statement, though, Babidi had snapped his fingers in anticipation of the brash statement, drawing Gohan's attentions again to the screen…Sound! He could hear now everything that was happening in the cell, and the first thing he heard was…a knock…Videl apparently also heard it, and her head shot up to look at the door, expression puzzled.

"You know…" Babidi began again, a sly tone laced in his voice, "Humans, for some strange reason, don't seem to hold up that well under pressure—South Kai can attest to that." He cast a wicked glance at his servant, then turned back to Gohan who looked on worriedly. "I suppose they just can't handle emotional situations that throw them off balance, that toss their perceptions into disarray…Now, I wonder, what might happen if that poor girl was led to believe that _you_…who she cares for so deeply…no longer returned those feelings…" He turned back to the image, and Videl now stood at the door, which seemed significantly larger than before and had somehow sprouted a doorknob. 

"I wonder just _what_ might happen with a shift in balance like that…South Kai?" The god merely smiled grimly.

He watched as Videl reached forward, and all the while he cried in his mind, _'Don't…don't do it, don't open it…Videl…'_ But she did; she grasped the knob firmly in one hand, biting her lip, and gave it a definitive twist as she flung it open. 

A tall figure blocked the doorway, then stepped through, forcing Videl to retreat a few feet, one hand clapped over her mouth as her voice shakily choked out, "…Go—Gohan…?"

"No…" he murmured, voice soft with shock at first as he viewed the false Gohan—this wasn't happening; he wasn't watching this happen! "_No_! Videl!"

But, of course, she couldn't hear his futile pleas. 

—END CHAPTER TWELVE—

Post-Chapter Notes: Well? Oh come on, don't act like you didn't _expect_ me to leave you hanging! Yeah yeah, you want to be mad at me? Then put it in review form! After all, it's tradition to review after reading, and since you stuck with me this far, why not give a few more moments to let me know what you thought. Praise? Hatred? Put it in your review. Also—for anyone interested, I'm putting together an e-mail list for notification purposes. Drop me a note at orofangwen@fr.st, and I'll be sure to put you on it. Thanks to all who've reviewed so far—you're wonderful! Hmm, if these reviews keep up, I might have to throw together some "100 Review Special" something-or-other….


	14. Disillusionment of Ten o' Clock

_Author's Notes:Yeah_ yeah, finally got it out—took me long enough! Forgive my tardiness, but I've been slaving away on another little gem with everyone's favorite evil-cliffhanger authoress, Psycho Ann! We've got a joint-account under "Angst and Cliffhangers" (I know, describes us perfectly, right?) to post our fic we're working on together called "Parable of the Eagle". I highly encourage everyone who enjoys either mine or her fics (or both) to check it out! The first real chapter is about to be posted, and I feel very honored to be able to take part in the great plot she's got going. It's got angst, it's got cliffhangers, it's got Gohan/Videl, what more could you ask for?! So, as soon as you get done with this chapter, head on over and check it out (hey, this is my fic I'm putting this plug under, I'm allowed to push my chapter first)—you won't be disappointed!

_P.S._: The chapter title was taken from a poem of the same title by Wallace Stevens, just to give credit where it's due.

Last time on It's a Start:

She'd tried raising them on the radio frequency reserved for members of the Satan household, but to no avail; all she was answered with was static. 'Maybe it's just the storm…' Or maybe that was just wishful thinking.

*****

He listened more intently now, focusing his senses on the human he'd deduced to be the leader of the group.

"…them send in the report, Donovan. 'Satan, Videl: missing; Jane Doe: dead,' at 8:13 P.M…"

*****

'I merely want him not to interfere with my purpose on Earth—that is all I require. And with you here, I have a strong feeling he'll comply.' 

Great, so she was blackmail material! No one treated a Satan this way—after all, her father had…oh, wait… "…And your purpose would be?"

*****

'Videl…forgive me…' He cast a quick glance at the image—she was now sitting in the middle of the floor, eyes shut as she massaged her temples wearily. "No—I know I'm fast enough."

*****

A tall figure blocked the doorway, then stepped through, forcing Videl to retreat a few feet, one hand clapped over her mouth as her voice shakily choked out, "…Go—Gohan…?" 

"No…" he murmured, voice soft with shock at first as he viewed the false Gohan—this wasn't happening; he wasn't watching this happen! "No! Videl!"

_Chapter Thirteen: Disillusionment of Ten o' Clock_

It was just like then, just like before…_so_ much like before. But this time, he was _real_, and she knew it. She couldn't breathe, couldn't move, couldn't even bat an eyelash—and it was all _his_ fault. Waltzing in through that door like nothing had happened, that annoyingly confident smile on his all too gentle features. Why did he have to have a face that innocent? Then he stopped and just stood there, arms at his sides, staring down at her and waiting for _her_ to make her move.

Well, was _that_ what he was waiting for? Then who was she to disappoint him? 

Her strength suddenly surged in flood through her limbs which moments before had been as useless as wet noodles. It seemed to her as if her entire upper body had been shoved forward with a mighty thrust, which she had no power to resist, with his firm chest stopping her fall. He looked down at he girl leaning upon him, a bit surprised at the bold move, but relaxed as he noticed her burying her face deep in the folds of his gi, drawing in his scent as if it was her final breath…she wouldn't mind, had it really been her dying breath…it was _him_.

"You left me…you left…before…" she began softly, voice wavering, muffled by the dark fabric she'd surrounded herself with.

"…I know…I'm—sorry…" He was apologetic, and she gave an inward smile. It was so sweet, how he readily took the blame on his sturdy shoulders, no matter if it really _was_ his fault or not. As long as everyone else—all those he cared for—was happy, she'd come to learn, _he_ was happy.

She turned her gaze to the side, resting her head on his chest, and stared blankly at the cold tiled floor they stood on, just swaying with him for a few moments—nothing else really mattered. She might be in unfathomable danger, _he_ might be in unfathomable danger…but he was here now, with her; whatever awaited them, they would face it together, as one. He would let nothing hurt her—this she believed, _knew_ in the very depths of her soul. And in return for his comfort and security, she gave him her trust and strength. They would pull through—they _had_ to, for life still held much for them. Her mental thoughts drew to a close, and she unconsciously concluded aloud, "I trust you… Gohan…" Her eyes slid shut, and she rocked to the rhythm of his heartbeat pounding in her ears. Thump, thump…

Dark eyes reflected a tiny flicker of light, then faded into coal blackness; though she'd not meant the comment to be heard by his sensitive ears, it hung in the air between them all the same. And it was with one simple phrase that he shot her confession to pieces:

"You shouldn't."

The words rang hollow in the empty room, reverberating through the walls surrounding them. Her eyes shot back open, worry clearly evident in the blue orbs, and she creased her thin eyebrows in startled confusion. She stopped rocking and pulled back slightly, arms still clasped at his sides, and looked into his face for answers. But none were etched thereon, and he merely returned to her a cold blank stare, which fell away the longer she fastened her gaze upon him. 

"…_Gohan_…?" Did he…did he even realize what he'd just said? she wondered silently—had she heard correctly? Surely he… "W-what did y—"

"I said—" he interrupted swiftly, then seemed to catch himself out of character, and his voice softened. "I'm…I'm sorry, Videl."

Now her arms fell away fully, dropping back to her sides, and she found herself taking another tentative step back, eyes narrowing as she struggled for comprehension—he was so confusing! "…Sorry…about what?"

_'Don't say it…'_ she begged silently, regretting she'd even asked the question, _'Don't answer me, don't answer…'_

But he did. He _did_ answer her. "I lied, to you…it was—it was a spur of the moment thing…I still don't know why I said it, but…" He looked up at her, surprised he was able to do the deed, opened his mouth slowly, and out rolled, "…I don't love you, Videl."

Had it been a bullet which had ripped through her frail body instead of his words, she would have been hurt no more. She thrashed about inside—he'd…_lied_? But, why? _Why_?! It—it made no sense…made no sense…

She wanted desperately to reply _somehow_, to yell, to scream, to plead, to question, but she couldn't pick any _one_ action. They were all merging inside her head, and she couldn't discern one feeling from another. Here she was furious and wanted to slap him that very moment (not, she noted however, that it would do any good), while there she just wanted to curl up into a little ball in the corner and cry.

"I don't love you, Videl Satan," he repeated coldly, just in case she hadn't heard him the first time. "I _can't_ love you…not _you_…"

Seemingly of its own accord, her mouth choked out, "…_Can't_? But you…all this time, you stayed with me…you came to me…" Another one of those unasked questions he seemed to be so adept at answering.

He shook his head in a gesture that could only be interpreted as one of pity, but his mouth fell into a deep frown, and his expression was quite grim, his eyes black pits. Her own eyes widened slightly in worry at this sudden change in demeanor. Normally… he was so gentle, but right now he looked almost… almost _angry_—at her? At _something_… and that thought alone was enough to send a shiver of unease down her spine.

"You misread me, completely—your interpretation of my emotions could not have been further from what they truly meant. I helped you, I trained you, yes—but my purpose lay in an entirely separate realm from _love_, Videl. _I pitied you_. Your weakness, your frailty, your humanity—perhaps even I pitied you for basking in the glow of the world's greatest lie your entire life, but rest assured it was never more than that." 

His voice grew rougher and fiercer now, and he continued despite the horrified expression plastered upon her features. "Even now, here, I still pity you, for holding onto that vain hope in this…this _prison_—unrequited love…" He sighed. "It is the worst feeling in the world, I've been told, to feel so _passionately_ for someone, and to then be confronted again and again with the assurance that they will never hold anything more than—well, in this case, _pity_ for you." 

He shook his head again, and there wasn't even the slightest hint of emotion in his confession. No remorse, no forgiveness-seeking tone, _nothing_. Had she been more in control of her wits, she might have been appalled that he wasn't even telling her he was _sorry _for this—for amusing himself with her emotions, for tugging at her strings, and for playing her so easily. No, the way he spoke, he would have hurt her no more had he merely sat back and laughed at her for actually believing he cared for her!

Though she didn't realize it at first, she found tears of rage stinging her eyes, and her earlier expression of worry shifted into one of heated rage and anger—how _dare_ he! Here—wherever _here_ was—here, of _all_ places. Now, of all times! He was pouring out his confession here; couldn't he have at least waited until _after_ he'd resc—wait…he _was_ here to rescue her, _wasn't_ he?

She scrunched her eyes, inadvertently squeezing out a few drops, and tried to drive away the thought by shaking her head clear. Even if…even if he didn't love her, he was still _Gohan_, and would still help her; after all, he was the reason she was here in the first place—she was his _bait_. Apparently the voice that had crawled into her head earlier was mistaken with regards to the Saiyan's feelings…

She kept her eyes closed as she slowly reached a trembling hand up to her cheek, gently touching her skin with her index finger and pulling it away, opening them now to stare at it—tears…she was crying; silently she cursed. Great, this was the _last_ thing she wanted him witness to: another one of her emotional breakdowns. Too often she'd shown her true self to him, and now she was paying for it as he flung each and every episode back into her face with his cold words.

She had to forcedly will the tears to cease flowing, which—thankfully—they did, and the ones already gracing her flushed cheeks quickly hardened to salt crystals. She dared a glance up at him, eyes tracing the lines of his lower body, up over his chest, coming to rest on his face.

Relaxed, emotionless eyes; jaunty posture; and what could only be construed as…a _smirk_.

Yes, he was actually _smirking_ at her, pleased. He'd been watching her intently, observing her reaction to the confession—and he'd _liked_ what he beheld. The not-so-great Videl Satan, brought low, humbled by the world's _true_ savior, and now ridiculed by him as well.

In a shocked voice, begging her statement to be wrong, she managed, "You…you aren't sorry…this—this _amuses_ you!"

His face moved not an inch, yet his eyes glittered maliciously in their sockets, betraying the chord her words had struck inside of him. All he replied with was, "…Somewhat," and the smirk widened into an obvious grin.

Videl's face grew pale with checked anger, but she had had enough and restrained herself no more. "_Why_?! Why are you _doing_ this? Does it make you _happy_? Why—!" But almost as soon as she'd begun the tirade, she stopped it, forcing herself to try and collect her thoughts. After a moment, she continued her questioning, this time in a soft, tired voice. "More lies, Gohan? Give me now, at least, the truth—_please_. I won't…I won't stand here and be the victim of your silent jokes any longer. Explain yourself, Son."

His face didn't change the whole time she'd been asserting herself—it was as if he found her vacillation between emotional states so entertaining he couldn't tear his gaze away for even a second. He wanted to catch every moment of her tragic fate laid out before him, which had been placed in his capable hands.   

He granted her a small nod, though—his only acknowledgement he'd been paying any attention to her. He would give her the sole honor of humoring her request for reasoning behind his actions. Reaching a steady hand out to smooth away a strand of black which had fallen into her face, he began as if speaking to a very small child, explaining, "I never loved you, as I said before, Videl—and it _was_ partly because I felt pity for you…_only_ pity. But…it was more for the mere fact that I could never force my heart to care for the bestial hypocrite you've become."

A shocked gasp escaped her lips, and she shoved away his hand, which still lingered on her cheek, eyes narrowing in revulsion. He paid no attention to her actions, though, and continued in the same tone, unrifled. "No—not what you've become…what you've _always_ been. You were the school bully when you were little, weren't you? That kid whom others fled before, unable to properly train yourself, so picking fights with those obviously weaker than you in a vain effort to gain strength—that was you, wasn't it? With a showy display of authority, you made sure early on that no one challenged your superiority. And friends—well, you had none, and for good reason. After all, what fool would consent to attach him or herself to the side of so contradictory a being as you?

"To some, as you grew older and fame came into your life, you were the shining star of justice, daughter of the world's savior, heroine to the downtrodden and oppressed. Wherever evil reared its ugly head, you were there to stop it. But then—I guess you always _were_ the one to fight fire with fire, evil with evil, eh? I…_I_ know the Videl you normally project to those not involved in public relations, to those who can't help you get ahead in life—to _me_. With the snippy comments, violent tendencies, the cold voice…and anyone who won't listen to you, who won't do as they're told, well…they'd better be pretty adept at defending themselves.

"I could never love you Videl…I would never _want_ to."

She was absolutely _speechless_ with shock…how could he…_He_? _He_ was accusing her of lying, of portraying a false exterior, of being hypocritical? Of being two-faced? _How_?! He actually _was_ two-faced! How could he accuse _her_ of such a thing?! It boggled her mind!

He'd lied to her countless times since she'd met him, more perhaps than anyone she'd ever known—even her father, now that she thought  about it. For Hercule's lie hadn't really hurt anyone (except, she pondered, maybe Gohan?), but the way _Gohan_ had lied…the half truth's he'd told her, had hurt _her_, had damaged his seemingly faultless image in her eyes—she would never look at him the same when he lied.

_He_ was the hypocrite, she declared to no one save the audience of her head, breathless with anger, eyes radiating fury. Still, _still_ he was smirking at her display, still smirking… No matter how angry or confused or irritated she became, it seemed nothing moved him!

Argh, she could take it no more! She grabbed her head in frustration at the absence of choices left for her to take, and released a cross between a yell and a growl, almost primal in nature. Channeling her fury into one fist, she fired a punch forward into Gohan's waiting chest.

He easily swiped it away—_Goten_ would've given him better sport than she—and batted not a lash, re-crossing his arms over his chest. Again, she tried, moving forward on this pass, and he repeated the same response, now mirroring her step forward with a step back of his own. Repeat, again, again, each blow filled with more hatred and frustration than the last, each deflected by the demi-Saiyan with the same blasé response. She knew, somewhere in the back of her mind she remembered, how futile her attacks were—at least when aimed at his chest. Half-way through the follow through of a punch she shifted her target to his face, and with a swift upward stroke, she knew she had caught him off guard. His smirk would fade as she connected, flesh to flesh, and she gathered her strength and fortitude once more. 

Having expended his enjoyment of this activity, Gohan decided on a different route of deflection. He didn't merely toss away her blow this time. No—now he caught it deftly with little effort in his left palm, her white knuckles mere inches from his sculpted chin, smirk fading into a scowl.

She gaped like a fish at this sudden change in defense strategy, but quickly regained her wits enough to make an effort to retract her hand and start a new attack.

It would not, though, be moved from his fierce grip, and he silently drank in every drop of the fear which washed over her pallid face. She paled, and again she pulled, harder, pull! Nothing—he held her fast, frown deepening the more she struggled, eyes narrowing at her presumption—how _dare_ she pull away? To assume, simply because he had been so easy on her before, that he'd go easy on her now…foolish—he'd have to teach her better.

Her brows pulled together in worry the more she pulled, and at one point she actually found herself _trembling _slightly—fearful for her life…

She'd never really been scared in her life, _truly_ scared. She'd seen horror movies and been spooked, friends had surprised her before, but scared? Satans didn't get _scared_. The bus incident—however long ago that was—had been the first time she'd actually confronted the thought that she might not live to see another day, that this might be the end of her life. Only then had she really been frightened. Until now, that is…looking into his dark, empty eyes, knowing full well the power he had hidden deep within them…

As if reading her thoughts as they stumbled through her consciousness, he breathed out huskily into her ear in a voice so _not_ his own, "Do you understand…how _easy_ it would be for me to _kill_ you, right now…? How little effort it would require for me to just…snuff out your life, so to speak?"

She no longer struggled—she no longer saw a point. If he were serious at all in the threat he was stepping around, then she certainly couldn't escape by resisting him. The Saiyan Gohan…he had asked her if she was afraid of him, and now… she regretted her response of "No"…That was well before _this_. Again he lifted his hand to her cheek, tracing a line down her jaw to the vulnerable flesh of her neck, eliciting chills which raised small bumps across her skin. This close…they were this close, and now all she felt for him was fear and hatred. Where had it changed? _Where_?

He gave a dry chuckle, pined almost, when she didn't answer his rhetorical questions. "You hate me now, don't you…?"

She hesitantly forced an action upon her head which she prayed would be interpreted as a nod—she assumed it did, for he offered a malignant smile and shook his head gently at her naïveté. 

"_No_…you don't hate me. Yet."

She had only a split second to ponder the implications of "yet," when he grabbed her by the neck—to keep her from slumping to the floor—with the hand he'd been stroking her cheek with. His left now tightened its grip on her fist he still held fast in his grasp.

Tighter, tighter he squeezed, draining every emotion on the spectrum from Videl's face, and her mouth opened wide in a silent scream, eyes bulging wide at each crack and snap as another delicate hand bone was crushed by the demi-Saiyan's might. Pain spread like wildfire up her arm, then through to the rest of her body, and she vainly tried to slap her hand away from his—if it didn't work before, why should it work now?—an awkward task since he was still holding her up by the neck. As expected, it was to no avail.

He would not relent, even when she managed to voice her pain in a sad mixture of cries, pleas, and screams, punctuated here and there by a quick intake of breath and the sobbing of his name, "P-please…st—op it, Goh…" but she could never finish the supplication, so he continued to squeeze. 

Even when she was certain her whole hand had been reduced to calcium powder, that not a bone was left and now a mere flesh bag lay at the end of her left arm, crushed, useless; he somehow found a new one each time, twisting and mangling it, and another crack would shatter the air, followed by more screams.

"You're starting to hate me now, I think…just starting…"

Oh, Kami, no… "just starting"—this was only the beginning! Her hand was completely mutilated, destroyed, she knew…but it was only a _hand_. He was going to…do this to her…_whole body_?! The mere thought of the pain entailed therein sent another storm of terrified tremors through her form, as if in epileptic shock.

*****

Dreams: the gods' most precious gift to mankind—the closest any mortal may ever come to achieving haven on earth. In dreams, even your wildest fantasy can become reality, and all that seems impossible suddenly becomes possible. Ah, what a blessing!

However…this gift was not given free of conditions. In accepting the endowment of the ability to dream, mankind was also forced to come to grips with the fact that whenever you dream, it always has the potential to become…a nightmare.

And you can't stop them, no matter your strength; you can't avoid them, no matter your speed. They are the deep shadows cast by dream light, the inescapable dark side of sleep. The only consolation present is that all nightmares, like all dreams, have an eventual end, and you wake up, safe in your own bed, with the sun shining brightly outside and breakfast cooking on the stove; it was only a bad dream.

Wasn't it?

Nightmares…_do_ end, right? _Right_?

Gohan wasn't so sure this one would ever end. Before he even realized what had happened, as if some alien force had overtaken his body and was puppetting him along, he had blasted forward, breaking up the image screen. He slammed fist-first into the short yellow wizard, hurtling him to the ground, a knee on his chest while he raised one arm threateningly into the air, fingers twitching with deadly intent. His other fist had found its way to the wrinkled neck, tightening his fingers around the flesh with no signs of stopping even as the alien cried out and feebly slapped at his sturdy arms—the only dilemma in Gohan's mind right now was deciding, "Rip off his head, or simply blast it to oblivion?"

Right, rip it off—it'd be much slower.

"Where. Is. _She_?" he growled in short sharp bursts, punctuating each word with another squeeze of his grip around the neck, and he shook him slightly. "You'd better stop this _right_ now, or so help me I'll pop your bald little head wide open like a nut." Another squeeze let the wizard know this was no idle threat.

Babidi's eyes were wide—both from the pressure and the shock—and yet still he managed to collect himself enough to try and regain the upperhand, and hissed, "You do that, and the girl dies anyway…"

Mere curiosity at the validity of the new hazard was all that stopped Gohan from following through on his threat, and he relaxed his grasp the tiniest bit, the cue for the wizard to continue should he value his insignificant life. "My ship, buried below us, is a veritable maze—and even after I'm gone, that illusion will live on. He'll kill her long before you reach her, _boy_."

Babidi apparently knew just how to play his words, for even now he sensed the energy dissipating in the demi-Saiyan's raised hand, power fleeing the fingers which had been so ready to strike him down. "Release me, boy, if you're not going to kill me—which I think you won't, now—and we may begin our negotiations."

Gohan's vision blurred, and he shook his head a bit, snapping from a reverie of indecision, and he stammered out, "N—negotiations?" His hand fully relaxed and he pulled back, standing and releasing the short wizard. Taking a few tentative steps back, still wary, he let his hands fall away to his sides.

"_I_ have something _you_ want, and _you_ have something _I_ want." He dusted off his long robes. "It seems a simple trade is in order, don't you think?"

…A trade? _'Humor him,'_ he told himself, _'See where he goes with it,' _and with that he plastered a determined frown back onto his bewildered features. "And what of mine would you have me give?"

Babidi's wrinkled yellow lips curled upward into a devious grin—here was the moment for which he'd been preparing for so very long: "Just your energy, my boy. Just your energy. Let me assure you, it won't even be a massive enough drain to leave you light-headed—a quick sip and you'll be immediately reunited with your…_friend_ in there."

"Who'll only be _too_ happy to see _you_, I'm sure," the South Kai added in a sly undertone from Babidi's side, chuckling slightly at the prospect of the reunion.

Gohan's eyes fell away in deep thought, as if he were truly contemplating the proposal. Just how terrible could this monster, this _Buu_ be? Would it be too much for him to handle alone?—more than likely not. Wouldn't he rather just comply now, save Videl, and take his chances with the beast? Perhaps…it certainly wasn't an all _that_ repulsive idea…

Seeing the mental battle his fighter was waging—he was actually thinking about _agreeing_?!—the Supreme Kai didn't hesitate another moment and swiftly entered the demi-Saiyan's mind, hoping to snap him back to his senses.

_'Gohan—Gohan!__ Listen to me, and listen well.' _The boy grunted slightly at the intrusion, but the god continued regardless. _'Whatever you're thinking about doing, whatever it is, abandon it! You absolutely cannot agree to Babidi's demands—you can't even begin_ _to comprehend the monster he's going to unleash with your energy. Gohan—!'_

He knew, deep down, he _knew_ he shouldn't, couldn't, _mustn't_ give in—he felt how wrong it was to let the evil win. Argh, these _emotions_! Yes, he had been entrusted with the power to _save_ his world, not condemn it to fire and brimstone, as the Supreme Kai was saying would happen if he should comply. But—he…he couldn't see any other choice! It was all _her_ fault; he wouldn't even be acting this way if not for her, and the Supreme Kai knew this.

_'Gohan,'_ he began again after taking a moment to calm himself and formulate an argument. _'Gohan—you want to save her, I know…but, sometimes—sometimes there are more important things to take into account, more precious things at stake. The universe Gohan. Will you gamble away the universe for one life?'_

But she…she _is_ the universe, he wanted to retort. She _is_—her bottomless blue eyes are the vast expanse of nothingness between systems, dotted here and there with supernova stars, her laughter echoes across the galaxies, and all life is contained in her soul. You have your universe, Kai. Let me have mine.

With each second that ticked by, the god grew more and more desperate, knowing full well how close Gohan was to slipping over the edge—their only weapon in this war was soon to be lost if he didn't _somehow_ convince him to make the _right_ decision. He racked his mind for _something_ to dangle over the boy…_something_…_ 'Gohan—your planet's guardians…they informed me earlier of the existence of talismans known as "Dragonballs"; you know of them, don't you? And of their uses?' _No visible response was given. _'You do know of them! Think—even if she dies, she can still be brought back! You've no reason to follow through with his plan!'_ He felt a bit strange bringing up this option, inadvertently breaking the Kais' rules, but desperate times call for desperate measures, and he'd never been more desperate. _'Now what will you do? Through both ways she can live, but only by one can the rest of the universe live as well—what will you do, Gohan?!'_

He was shaking, shaking with fear, shaking with anger, shaking—and absolutely appalled at the Kai's suggestion.

He should…let her die? Let her just _die_?! How, how could he ask that of him? How could he even _suggest_ that course of action? Gohan would admit, with no qualms whatsoever, that he would sooner cut _himself_ down—in the most horrific way possible—than see Videl suffer. She was, to him, frail, weak, _human_…he wanted nothing more than to be there to protect her. But, wanted that more than to protect the planet, though?

What did the _Kai_ know of death? He'd never experienced it—so how could he ask Gohan to consent to allowing her to die?! The hypocrite…One death had already been allowed so that he might be able to save this planet—seven years had done little to heal that wound. So…would he sacrifice _another_? Would he put her through the pain of dying—at "his" hands, no less—_could_ he?

He suppressed a dry laugh as he turned round to stare at her image—fully repaired from his barreling through it earlier—and his eyes unconsciously watered, blurring everything together. It really _was_ him in there, his hands snapping her bones like dry timber, his elbow severing her spinal cord, his eyes…watching her watching him, full of fear and confusion, anger, acceptance that yes, she was about to die, killed by the one she would have spent a lifetime with.

The image was no longer an illusion of Babidi's—he _was_ going to kill her, to condemn her to the chains of death. In the end, it was always all his fault.

But—but, I'm sorry. Don't look at me that way, I'm sorry! Understand it has to be _this way, even though I would have gladly had it __that way. Gladly…but he stopped me, and I'm sorry._

I would have saved you, spared you, Videl—you know, deep down, I would've. I would've given up my life for, if only to save just yours. No pain, no hurt, no death, I would've done it. I would've beat it.

It should've been "happily ever after," you know, and now I can see clearly how naïve I was for trying to reach that plateau. You opened my eyes, and for that I apologize.

So just lie down and close your eyes, go to sleep, it's time to die. It won't hurt, I don't think—I wouldn't know, really, I haven't died before. But I hear it's not that bad, and I promise you'll be back soon, and then we'll start again right where we left off.

But first, I'll say I'm sorry. "Sorry for killing you."

This isn't how it was supposed to be, you know. I think I told you that before…and I don't take drastic changes very well. I said I loved you. I kissed you—that's when you're supposed to say you love me, and kiss me back.

I could see you with me, I could see us smiling, I could see so far into the future that now feels like ages ago—it was just a bad dream, that's all. You, me, us, alive, happy, love. That's how it's supposed to be, so how dare them for throwing it off balance.

I shouldn't be here, killing you, with you killing me. "Killing" shouldn't even be anywhere on the horizon unless we're killing time. But instead, something went wrong somewhere, and I'm standing here apologizing for what I'm about to do. Hey, have you met my dad? You will—you two have a lot in common: I killed you both.

Oh but no, no, don't cry—it's for a good reason. They all die for a good reason, you know. Always to save the universe and you're coming back, so it's alright.

Oh no…no, you're _crying! Don't cry—it's only death. And I'm sorry it has to be __me to kill you, but it won't be forever, and it won't hurt—much._

You said you weren't afraid of me, that if you _were_ afraid, you wouldn't have come looking for me. Well, you found me, Videl, here I am, here to kill you. Do you stand by that statement still? Do I scare you _now?_

I'm sorry if I do. I'm sorry if I ever have to look down into your eyes and see fear, sorry for the pain and hatred I've given you, when all I wanted to do was love you…sorry for killing you.

You should meet my dad, Videl. He can explain it better than me. Tell him hi for me—oh, and tell him I'm sorry for killing him too.

*****

All light and life seemed to face from the angry black eyes, and his audience could almost _see all inhibition slipping away from his form. The dark sky above crackled, split with even more bolts of lighting, as if mirroring the inner turmoil of the Saiyan. Emotion fell away, forgotten, unwanted, unneeded, shed like a second skin. The only thought that was left in his mind was voiced in a booming echo for all present to hear._

"I'm sorry for killing her. But I will not be sorry for killing _you, Babidi. Prepare yourself."_

—END CHAPTER 13—

_Post-Chapter Notes:  *wipes forehead* whew, finally got it! Ok, sorry that took so long, but I've been working on other projects, too! Now that you've read it, you know the drill—let me know what you think! And, you'll be pleased to know, I've already got some of chapter 14 written out (it flows very nicely from 13, so I couldn't just _stop_ right when I finished this chapter), so it won't be as long in coming as this one (*crosses fingers* hopefully…) I'll be gone from May 30-June 7, so if you send me an e-mail, I'll respond ASAP. Wanna be on the mailing list? Drop me a line at orofangwen@fr.st, and I'll get right on it! Thanks again for your support!—sage_


	15. I Hate It When You Look at Me That Way

_Author's Notes_: Well, took me long enough to get going on this chapter, and I'm here to say, "Sorry!" I've been SO busy with _Parable of the Eagle_ and my new fic _You Can Never Go Back _it's not even funny—but it's a GOOD kind of busy, one I like! Anyway, enough of my rambling, and on with the chapter!

_Last time on It's a Start_

"I don't love you, Videl Satan," he repeated coldly, just in case she hadn't heard him the first time. "I _can't_ love you…not _you_…"

*****

As if reading her thoughts as they stumbled through her consciousness, he breathed out huskily into her ear in a voice so _not_ his own, "Do you understand…how _easy_ it would be for me to _kill_ you, right now…? How little effort it would require for me to just…snuff out your life, so to speak?"

*****

He should…let her die? Let her just _die_?! How, how could he ask that of him? How could he even _suggest_ that course of action?

*****

It really _was_ him in there, his hands snapping her bones like dry timber, his elbow severing her spinal cord, his eyes…watching her watching him, full of fear and confusion, anger, acceptance that yes, she was about to die, killed by the one she would have spent a lifetime with.

*****

"I'm sorry for killing her. But I will not be sorry for killing _you, Babidi. Prepare yourself."_

_Chapter Fourteen: I Hate It When You Look At Me That Way_

   It was gone, lost. They had relinquished their one and only bargaining chip—the girl. It was their solid and well-founded certainty that her imminent danger would force the brat to yield to their demands which had given them hope of winning the war. But now it was as good as lost on their side. With the girl dead, what could they dangle over the boy now? For what reason should he comply now? _Where_ had they miscalculated, _where_?!

   At the demi-Saiyan's bold statement, laced with startling finality, Babidi's blood turned to ice in his veins, and his foul heart—he would swear—stopped beating in his chest. All time seemed to slow to a crawl and everything just _stopped_.

   Everything except Gohan.

   He stepped forward, one foot at a time, in no particular rush or hurry anymore, the only sound filling the air the steady crunch of gravel beneath boots. Not with youthful rashness did he approach, but with the slow measured pace of a seasoned warrior—as an executioner stepping up to the chopping block, axe in hand.

   Keeping a careful eye trained on his destroyer, the wizard took a nervous step backwards, nearly tripping over his own cloak; Gohan, though, merely turned his head, paying no heed to the pathetic attempt at delaying a predestined death. Instead he diverted his attentions to the being who now stood a few feet to the right of Babidi, who was also shying away from the demi-Saiyan following his abrupt attitude change: the South Kai.

   He halted his steps, facing the Kai fully now, and a smirk somehow managed to work its way over his lips, oddly out of place, inducing fresh tremors to wrack the god's body. But he was a kai, a _kai_—making an effort to retain some modicum of respect before such an obviously stronger opponent, the deity forced himself to stand up straight, staring what he was assured was death square in the face.

   The storm had long since abated, with a fine mist still hanging in the air in some places, and in the distant east mountain peaks jutted up into the sky, gilded with gold, warning of the swiftly approaching dawn. The rain had washed away the old world, and the sun would shine on a new future: but not yet, not until Gohan had disposed of the last of the refuse.

   "…You betrayed us _all_, Kai," came a surprisingly calm voice—_Gohan's_ voice in fact. "You sold yourself for power, Kai—no, no, merely for the candy-coated _promise_ of power…and look where it's led you." He leaned forward and peered over the rim of the dark glasses, gazing into the wide fearful eyes shaking in their sockets. "You would have stood by his side gladly while the rest of the universe fell to his whim—you would have seen me _dead_…" The last bit was said a bit more forcefully, driving home the fact that the tables had turned. The god made a feeble attempt to dispel the belief by shaking his head, straining to argue the point, but Gohan merely chuckled darkly and closed his eyes. "Come now, no more lies, Kai…"

   Slowly, barely perceptibly, his right hand lifted from his side, with the god looking on in morbid curiosity overlaid with fear, eyes unable to focus on anything else—what would the boy do now? The others could only play the role of audience to the display between demi-Saiyan and deity, so enthralled in the execution were they.

   Kibito and the Supreme Kai watched with worried eyes more than anything: Had their pleas gotten through, would Gohan win now? He was certainly taking his time, that much was clear—but it didn't appear that Babidi had any leverage left. They pondered for a moment jumping in to stop the display before silently agreeing to allow it to continue.  

   Raising his palm to eye level, Gohan laid it gently on the Kai, resting it squarely on the great pink forehead. His eyes remained closed, now twitching every now and then, and his mouth curved into a frown.

   Perhaps it was because of the recent power-up he'd gained from fusing. Perhaps it was one of the perks of being a half-breed. Perhaps it was because this being cowering underneath his palm was a kai—whatever the reason, it startled him quite significantly, jarred all his senses, when the moment he made contact, flesh to flesh, images began to flood his mind in a deluge of sensory input.

   Everything the kai had done, experienced, felt, lived through, everything for hundreds upon countless thousands of years all _burned_ into his mind, searing his consciousness like a hot poker. He was being branded, too much information, too _much_! It actually _hurt_…

   Then, oh then _her_…he saw _her_! But saw her not through his own eyes, but saw her as the South Kai had seen her. Saw him conversing on numerous occasions with Babidi, plotting on how best to ease the resurrection of Majin Buu, felt him conclude that she was the one: the one to bring Son Gohan to his knees. Saw—

   Saw something else. Saw something new that made his heart freeze, and crack into a million million tiny shards, scattered about and blown by the wind. 

   "M…Mother…?" His voice was so low he didn't even know if any sound had come out, just felt the way her name formed on his dry lips. None beyond himself and the South Kai heard the utterance.

   He saw her bruised and bloodied body hanging limp before him, all her warrior-like grace gone, no life in her eyes, suspended by her head clutched in his own grip—no, in the _kai's_ grip. Blessedly unconscious, this didn't stop her from screeching in pain as her mind was snapped back to this plane when the hand holding her head gave a quick squeeze, followed by the sickening _crack_ of bone splitting.

   He didn't even realize that his eyes were open, now boring through the god's dark glasses, wide and angry with deadly intent mingled with realization. His voice rose from a soft whisper, "You killed her…you _killed_ her…_you killed her_! _YOU_—"

   The kai opened his mouth to beg once more, but no words came out as his body withered away into dust, disintegrating into not even so much as a fine powder by the heat and fury of the Saiyan' s tightly honed blast.

   Gohan jerked back, a bit surprised at his own actions; he hadn't meant to kill him. Not yet at least. He'd wanted to play a bit, play, just like with Cell. Except this wouldn't be like Cell, because this one couldn't hurt him anymore. No not anymore.

   _not anymore, I won't let you hurt me_

   One down… but the other one…the other one he would not let off so easily…

* * *

   South Kai… South Kai was _gone_! Nothing was left—and from what he'd seen, the boy before him hadn't even put forth a minimal amount of effort to dispatch him! Simply… _willed_ the god from existence!

   _'No, no…no—nononononononnono!'_ he screamed in his mind, _'He's coming! For me! For me!'_ Babidi's mouth hung open ungracefully, allowing a terrified squeal or squeak to escape every few seconds, teeth chattering. Gohan was still standing a few feet away, leaning forward and blinking at the dark spot on the ground that had once been the South Kai. After a moment of indecision, he pulled himself back straight once again.

   Turning almost lazily to the wizard, he smiled at the tiny man trembling with trepidation. The sun rising steadily behind him cast his face in deep shadow as he made his way slowly yet surely to face Babidi. When a mere foot of space separated the two, he crouched down on one knee, placing himself at eye level with his enemy.

   "I'll bet you wish," he began unhurriedly, drawing out the speculation, "that you'd never started any of this now… that you'd never gotten involved with the Earth in any way, huh?" He absently fingered the long orange cloak draped over the bony yellow frame. "Or maybe you just wish you'd never tested me…" He released the fabric.

   "No, _boy_," Babidi snarled in his face after taking a moment to gather his courage to speak, defiant to the end, "I _don't_ wish any of that—merely that my plans had come to fruition, free from little obstacles like yourself. If we're indulging in hind sight here, why lie? Nothing can _ever_ make me regret any of the choices I made, don't you see? Your stupid innocence blinds you…"

   Frowning, Gohan silently accepted what the little monster said: it was true, he couldn't force him to regret, to feel sorry for his choices…He stood back up, towering once more over Babidi. But… what now? What should he do with him? Kill him, yes…kill him for sure—in a thousand different ways, to have him tortured for eternity, if that could be managed—but how?

   Slow, quick. Messy, clean. Primitive, efficient. So many choices… yet none seemed to be capable of satisfying the blood-thirst coursing through Gohan's veins. He wanted this little demon to pay for all the lives he'd affected, all the pain he'd caused—for all the pain he _would_ have caused. To feel the pain _he_ felt, to writhe under the agony of knowing that absolutely nothing could be done to avoid death, to feel his heart shredded to pieces as all that was near and dear to him shattered…

   To _feel_…

   "Supreme Kai," he called out suddenly but firmly, an idea forming in his mind, beckoning the god over. "I wish to ask something of you, sir."

   A confused expression flitted across the deity's face, and he cast a questioning glance up to his servant. Kibito, though, merely returned the look, equally perplexed. Regardless, they made their way over to the warrior, coming to rest at his side. "…Gohan?" He didn't turn to look at either one. "What is it?" Three pairs of eyes were tightly focused on the demi-Saiyan now, all hanging on what he would say next.

   Softly he began, "Can you…Sir, can you make him _feel_…?"

   Even more confused, the kai's brows furrowed. "Feel? What do you mean, feel?"

   Turning, Gohan explicated. "Feel, sir. I wish him to feel. To understand, comprehend, realize… what true pain is."

   The kai's eyes as well as Babidi's widened. "Wha—what are you _saying_ Gohan? Are you… are you not going to destroy him?" His voice reached a frenzied pitch from confusion. Why was he _waiting_?!

   Gohan narrowed his gaze, frustrated, averting his attentions from the kai back to Babidi, who now stared at him in a curious mix of worry, anger, and fear. They didn't understand—_none_ of them. "He is still irreverent—I want him to _feel_ first. Feel all the fear, the pain, the anger, the sadness _I_ have had to deal with for the past decade of my life. Loss, self-doubt, regret, sorrow—I want it for him, Kai… for he will not die by _my_ hand until he _feels_."

   The Supreme Kai ran the boy's declaration over in his head, still unsure of his motives—perhaps it was some sort of revenge for what Babidi did to the girl, he couldn't be sure. But if he said he _was_ going to destroy him… After a moment he nodded his assent, sending his hulking servant forward to do the job. A disgusted look crossed Kibito's face, as if he found the idea of being close to Babidi distasteful. Rather than stepping closer, he merely extended a hand in the wizard's direction, palm first, and sent a rush of energy flaring up around the cowering form. 

   Babidi jerked his head around in horror—though fairly confident he wasn't about to die—as a white aura engulfed him, and he scrambled to his feet to flee the group. His escape, however, was halted as Gohan stepped on the hem of his cape, sending him sprawling to the ground in a heap. 

   A final angry yell from Kibito, then all was quiet and still, the aura evaporating from existence and the dust settling back to the earth. The pink giant lowered his arm and gazed on in wonder and curiosity—what now? His master was entertaining the same thoughts, but neither spoke as of yet.

   "…Thank you, Kibito," Gohan uttered quietly, acknowledging his work for the first time. No response was returned, nor was it expected. All thoughts and gazes remained fixed on the prone figure lying motionless on the ground before them. After a moment, Gohan turned away from the group and began marching to the manhole cover marking the ship's entrance.

   "Wait—Gohan!" the Supreme Kai called his retreating figure, startled at his sudden departure, and he halted. "Babidi… will you dispatch him now?"

   He began walking again, tossing back, "Soon…after he feels… after he learns what it's like…"

* * *

   The ship's interior was as cold and dark as its master, with runway-style floor lights serving as the only illumination, marking accessible pathways. Upon reaching the first level having descended the ladder from the surface, Gohan took a moment to half-heartedly search out Videl's ki. Not surprisingly his search turned up nihil, and he began to traipse down the main corridor, a long empty hallway. 

   After five hundred or so feet, the passageway dead-ended in a round chamber, dotted with five doors: two on either side of an impressive steel-laden entrance—most likely an elevator. Closing his eyes he strained to recall the pithy outline of the ship given to him prior to setting out for the battle…

    _"His cloaking technology is decidedly minimal, so he has resorted to hiding the craft underground, safe from possible human sighting. A single shaft leads from the surface to the first level and the main corridor, which in turn leads to the elevator shaft. From there all levels of Babidi's ship can be accessed. Buu will most likely be hidden in one of the lowest, most secure levels."_

   He eyed a button panel to the right of the steel doors, labeled in an alien script, and ran a finger over each of the four choices. Following logic he pressed the bottom button, and the doors gave a faint whir before opening with a hiss. Stepping through, the doors slid back shut after a moment, and he leaned against the far wall of the chamber as it descended into the bowels of the ship.

   He barely had a moment to breathe when the entry doors slid open once more, and he stepped out into a large room. This one was just as dark as the entryway above, but a faint pink glow in the corner illuminated what appeared to be a large throbbing ball of some sort. 

   So, this was Buu? Or more than likely, this was Buu's container… He gingerly stepped over to it, circling it a few times before laying a sweaty palm on the hulking mass: warm, full of life, energy…waiting to be reborn…

   "I would have liked to have had the chance to fight you, Buu…perhaps another time…" Retracting his hand, he retreated into the darkness.

   It was time to find Videl.

* * *

   Though seemingly simple in design, exuding no signs of its inner intricacy, Babidi had certainly not been bluffing when he'd said his ship was a maze inside. Hours had passed since he'd entered, and _still_ Gohan was tearing through room after room in search of her body. The lack of a ki signature certainly didn't help his pursuit any.

   The first floor had been nothing but the main chamber with Buu's ball. The second, he'd discovered, was composed of hundreds of lab environments, housing various experiments carelessly abandoned by their originators—was this really Babidi's personal ship? Deep down, Gohan was beginning to suspect that the wizard had merely hijacked it somewhere during his space travels. 

   The third level—his current level, just below the one he'd entered on—appeared to be rows and rows of cell blocks. Inspection of these was facilitated by the barred window on each door, and he had but to take a quick peek to determine whether or not she was inside. 

   On this level his pace—and heartbeat—quickened. He could almost feel her nearing, not quite there yet…But it was not until reaching the second chamber from the end that his search came to fruition. There, lying on the floor in the middle of the room, limp and lifeless, was his Videl.

   At least, he assumed it was she, for the horrific combination of the poor lighting and the sickly blue-black bruises dotting her form had rendered her nearly unrecognizable. His heart skipped a few beats as once more he reached out for her energy, thoughts tightly focused on the body before him.

   Nothing. No energy, no breath, no steady rise and fall of the chest, no batting of the eyelids, no _life_.

   He stepped into the chamber from his post at the doorway as if twenty-ton weights were strapped to the soles of his boots—it seemed each forward movement required his whole concentration. He drew in air with measurable difficulty, eyes running along what had once been to him the most perfect figure in the world.

   She had… she had no shape. Merely a crumpled bag of flesh and organs, inhuman to the eye. Her formerly shapely legs splayed out in unnatural directions, as did her delicate arms, and her pupil-less eyes were wide open in horror, staring blankly ahead, washed over with her own blood which seeped onto the floor from her crushed skull. 

   Nimbly, he stepped around the gore, still surveying her with morbid fancy. He had done this…he had done this to her…He could practically still feel her bones snapping easily in his powerful grip, could hear her halting cry.

   What had it been like, he wondered. Her last moments—as her skull finally caved to the pressure—what had she done, what had she been thinking of? Had she died…with his name on her lips? It almost gave him a kind of immortality to think that way.

   Hesitantly he squatted down onto his haunches and bent forward, running a trembling finger over her lips as if actually searching for whether or not his name was imprinted there. Finding nothing, he stood again and positioned both hands above her prone form. Closing his eyes, he whispered, prayer-like, a nearly silent, "_I'm sorry_…" and willed her away. This was all the effort it took, and the corpse vanished in the same flash of light as the South Kai.

* * *

   Silently, emotionlessly, he ascended back to ground level, gaze unfocused, staring blankly ahead. He paid no attention, as he heaved his weight up from the shaft, to the fact that Buu's prison seemed to somehow have moved from the lowest level of the ship to the surface, nor did he notice that Babidi was still unconscious—yet breathing—and was now being held by the neck in Kibito's tight grasp.

   The Supreme Kai approached him once more, asking nothing of his extended absence, and looked up expectantly, as if to say, "Well?" The question that would follow Gohan already knew: Will you kill him now?

   Gohan's eyes traveled slowly from the kai to Babidi to Buu's prison—no longer glowing or pulsing—and he sighed. "Not yet…" was the weak answer to the unasked question. "First…the Dragonballs."

   Shin's mouth fell open in shock—had the boy just said what he _thought_ he'd said?—and the demi-Saiyan began to walk away briskly. Quickly snapping out a hand before he retreated from his reach, he gripped Gohan's wrist firmly, regaining his undivided attention. "…Dragonballs? You're worried about wishes at a time like this?! Enough! Enough of this waiting—this—this feeling you speak of. Babidi is sitting right there, completely helpless! I can't comprehend why you would not ki—"

   More swiftly than the eye could follow, Gohan had turned on his heel and was in the kai's face. "_Because_ he is completely helpless—that is why, sir." The condescending tone he'd taken when fully Saiyan was back, and the deity's gaze darkened. "You will understand later."

   "Gohan, apparently you do not fully realize the urgency of the situation—how close Babidi was to reviving Buu, you've seen for yourself! Now, there will be time enough for reunions after this monster has been destr—"

   "No—" he interrupted, voice low yet deadly serious. "I think you do not understand… I just found out, Supreme Kai, that even _gods_ can die…" Though no verbal threat was directly made, the impact of his declaration was made visible through the slight widening of Shin's eyes. "…We will revive her—and my mother—_first_…Then I'll deal with your monster." He leaned back and turned to walk away.

   Recovering quickly from the shock, the god straightened up, calling out shortly, "Perhaps _I_ should dispatch him then."

   Gohan stopped, not turning back this time. "Do as you wish, sir. I won't stop you. But this I promise: I will take care of him…after he feels. Don't doubt me; I've never given you reason to." He continued forward after this for a few more feet before leaping into the air with a burst of energy, a white aura exploding around him, bound for Kami's lookout.

* * *

   Bulma Briefs cursed aloud as the luminescent grid on the green background faded in and out—a frayed wire the ultimate culprit—and diverted her eyes from the airspace directly ahead of her for a moment to sharply thump the side of the Dragon-radar. The screen blinked a few times before beaming back to life, and she smiled as the four-star ball popped into view.

   "Perfect…last one…" she muttered to no one, and performed a few low fly-bys in her jet copter to ascertain the ball's location. After a not-so-gentle landing, she left the engine running and quickly hopped from the pilot's seat, eagerly digging around in the nearest sand dune.

   "Says it should be right about…aah!" Her fingers slid over a particularly smooth rock a few inches below the sand, and she gently brushed off what little dirt hadn't been blown away by her plane. Pocketing the bauble with its six twins, she smiled contentedly to herself and hopped back in, closing the hatch.

   Krillin and the others lived too far away to be bothered, and she hadn't wanted to involve Goten or Trunks in this just yet—fearful of the reason the balls were needed—so Bulma had been forced to go on this "adventure" alone. It almost felt like old times again—except no Goku this time, and rather than taking months, the deed had been completed in under a day, facilitated by the fact that all but two of the balls had been hidden relatively close to each other.

   Sighing, she set the auto-pilot coordinates for the Lookout and leaned back, closing her eyes.

* * *

   "They're coming," Piccolo's gruff voice announced suddenly after hours of silence pervading the Lookout. 

   All eyes snapped to him, and Vegeta barked quickly, "Who—the brat and Kai? But why would—"

   "They're going to summon the dragon from here. Gohan plans to use the wishes to revive Videl and—I would assume—his mother as well."

   So, the brat's mate was dead? Figured…"But the Dragonaba—"

   "Bulma is on her way here with them now; she's currently passing Korin's tower." He turned to the seething prince with a smirk. "Couldn't you sense her?"

   Vegeta exploded at the second interruption, "Blast you, Namek! _Let me speak_!" The Lookout grew quiet as the grave again, the only sound the agitated huffing of Vegeta, eyes blazing in anger as they were wont to do. "And of course I could've sensed her if I'd thought to do it—thank you." He recovered quickly from the outburst and re-crossed his arms over his sculpted chest. 

   Dende stepped forward, eyes darting from the elder Namek to Vegeta and back, gauging the exchange between the two cautiously, and spoke up hesitantly, "Piccolo—how do you… how do you know all that?"

   He looked over at the young guardian, no longer smirking, but wearing quite a serious expression, apparently not pleased with the answer to the question. "I've been in contact with the Supreme Kai ever since he left with Gohan and Kibito—they left Babidi's ship not five minutes ago and are well on their way up here as we speak. Apparently Gohan had already informed Bulma of the need for the Dragonballs earlier, which would explain why they're flying straight here and why Bulma is already coming."

   Dende broke into a relieved smile, "Then—they've won! They won!" Piccolo's frown didn't fade in the least, and he faltered. "…They did win, didn't they? They beat Babidi and Buu, right?"

   He shook his head slowly, and all hopes plummeted. "Gohan dispatched the South Kai easily enough, but the Supreme Kai informs me that he has refused to kill Babidi." An audible intake of air passed through all the Lookout occupants, with a murmur of, "Why?" following. "He says… Gohan says that he refuses to kill Babidi until he feels… whatever that may mean to him."

   They began to argue amongst themselves about Gohan's state of mind—was he really alright in the head, or had he possibly been hit with one too many Kamehamehas?—when the soft sound of chuckling from Vegeta of all people slowly silenced all comments. 

   "Fools… you really don't get it, do you? Why the boy won't get it over with?" He didn't need access to Gohan's thoughts to read him—the child was an open book, and a particularly bad read at that, too questioning and caring, never one to take the simplest, most direct route. "If this wizard killed his mate—which it sounds like he did after kidnapping her for bait—then he's certainly not going to kill him quickly or anything like that." On that note, who would? "He's going to take his time and make the execution as painful as possible—of that I'm sure. He may be all loyal and caring and gentle on the outside, but I know what kind of dark monster dwells inside that body—and you know of it too, Namek," he turned an eye to Piccolo.

   "Cell…"

   "Yes, Cell. He wanted Cell to hurt—to hurt badly for what he'd done. And he took his time back then, just like he's doing now."

   "Then what of this 'feeling', Vegeta? Can you explain that just as easily?"

   "Perhaps… but then that might be saying too much," he sneered, baiting his audience. Truthfully he didn't have any idea what the boy meant by that—nor did he really care. All he was hoping for was the chance to see a bit of bloodshed before the day was through. At least something to liven this place up—seven years of peace was seven years too long, if you asked him. Boring, mundane, everyday life, plodding on day after day, week after week, with no change. Give him some carnage, a little death and destruction, mayhem and chaos, anything but the sad story his life had become of late. 

   He actually envied Gohan for being the one to go and fight.

   It should've been him. It should've.

   The queries were halted with the roaring of a jet engine announcing the arrival of Bulma and the Dragonballs. The shapely scientist slipped gracefully from her pilot seat, a bulging faded brown pack slung over her shoulder. "About time you got here, woman. What'd you do, ride that scooter of yours to get the balls?"

   Bulma frowned and resisted the urge to playfully stick her tongue out at her husband. "Well, maybe if I'd had a little help it wouldn't have taken so long—"

   "If I remember correctly you were the one who made me come up here—"

   "Ahem," Piccolo coughed, interrupting the lovers' tiff. "You have the Dragonballs, Bulma?"

   She smiled, pleased. "Of course, you doubted me?" She swung the pack around and set it gently on the floor, unzipping the front pouch to reveal seven gleaming orange balls, each dotted with a different number of stars, numbering one to seven. "All seven, ready and waiting—hey, where's Gohan?" A sudden though flitted across her mind, and she paled. "He's not…de—"

   "No, he's not," the elder Namek quickly cut her off. "He's on his way here with the Supreme Kai."

   Bulma blanked. "…Supreme…Kai…?"

   Vegeta merely smirked behind her back. "I'll explain later, woman. Leave the men to their duties now." All eyes returned to the sky, scanning the horizon for any black dots indicating inbound figures; after a moment of fruitless searching, Dende cried out and pointed far to the east, "There they are!" Slowly the three dots grew larger and larger in their fields of vision until they eventually reached normal size, alighting on the tiled floor, grim expressions on all their faces.

   "I assume that," Piccolo pointed a disgusted finger at the small figure clutched in Kibito's grip, "is the wizard Babidi?" A nod confirmed his suspicion, and he turned an eye to his former pupil, now fully grown and appearing nothing like the whiny child he'd left in the wilderness all those years ago. No, now he was grown, a man, with a mission of his own which none would deter him from. Gohan stepped in front of Bulma, face blank.

   "You have the Dragonballs?"

   She peered at him strangely. "Yeah, they're…" She reached down to the bag, "They're right here—Gohan, what's going on? What do you need the Dragonballs for?"

   He turned away—it was time to explain. "I thought I'd need them to revive me…" he confessed as he walked over to Babidi, glaring down at the still unconscious wizard. "I didn't know how I'd come out of the fight I was about to enter…"

   "I'm assuming there's a 'but' to that, though, right?"

   He nodded. "_But_… now I need them to revive my mother…and Videl." Bulma gasped, horrified—this was far worse than she could have expected. Sure, she acknowledged grimly, she'd come to accept that the men died quite frequently—it was part of the job description of "world savior," but Chichi? And Videl? The poor boy… She quickly unloaded the talismans.

   "They're ready when you are, Gohan."

   He smiled, for the first time in a long time, and the expression actually looked a bit out of place on the same face that had been so full of anger and gravity a moment ago, as if it was a completely separate person. "Thank you, Bulma…Dende?"

   "Ah, of course, Gohan." The young guardian darted over to where the balls were gathered, now glowing and pulsing with a warm light, and extended his hands over the cache, muttering an ancient Namekian incantation to ease the release of the dragon. The noon-time sky overhead darkened to midnight black, lightning arcing in a dazzling display that never ceased to amaze those that summoned Shenron. Suddenly a flaming rope shot upwards, thickening and dying out in brilliance, until it was obvious that it was no rope, but a dragon. 

   "Speak your wishes," growled a deep, booming voice, daring any to be slow in stating their desires.

   All attentions turned to Gohan, who stepped forward, a confident expression on his features. "Shenron, please return Son Chichi to life, bringing her back to this location!" A simple wish, quickly granted with a flash of light in the dragon's eyes. Suddenly, there was Chichi, standing—a bit confused—right before everyone on the lookout, appearing as if nothing had happened and she'd just finished a load of dishes at home. "It is done."

   Gohan wanted so badly to embrace her as Bulma did that very moment, glad to have her confidante back even though she hadn't really known she was gone for very long. But there was still one final wish to attend to—one nothing would keep him from making.

   "Shenron," his voice nearly cracked, "please return Videl Satan to life, bringing her back to this location!" Another flash of the dragon's eyes, and there she was, back as if nothing had happened as well. Without another word the dragon exploded in a blinding array of light, shrinking almost instantly to the size of seven small balls before shooting off in every direction to the ends of the earth, where they would lay dormant for a year, waiting to be found again. 

   He couldn't move, eyes fixed upon her figure as she surveyed her newly regenerated body with wonder—the body he'd completely destroyed back in Babidi's ship. Her gaze ran over her legs, up and down her arms, across her chest and stomach, and she reached trembling hands up to her face to ascertain that yes, she was alive, back from the dead! No bruises, no broken bones, no cuts, no scars, no—

   "Vi…Videl…?" he breathed softly, a million emotions laced in those two syllables, and she whipped around at his voice, all wonder fleeing her features, replaced by—

   Fear? Anger? Dread? 

   All of the above, Gohan. All of the above and more. Her reformed muscles tensed to bowstring tautness, and she instinctively raised her arms up, ready to defend herself if need be, sinking down a bit into a more comfortable fighting stance. He was about to approach her, a smile already forming on his face, when he suddenly stopped at these actions. What was she doing? 

   His eyes ran over her form—which, he noted distantly, left no openings—and was struck by how… "on guard" she appeared. Brow creasing in worry, he continued forward, reaching a hand out to touch her—to know she was back.

   Immediately she backed up a few steps, but his stride was longer than hers, and he was quickly right there in front of her, staring down, confused fingers about to brush her skin. She let out a frightened yelp at his speed—she'd forgotten how fast he could be when he wanted, for the last time she'd seen him, he'd worked painfully slowly—and nearly tripped backwards, saved by one of his strong arms encircling her petite waist. 

   She stared straight into his wide black eyes for only a moment before whipping back a hand and bringing it crashing down onto his cheek with a loud slap, shocking all present save herself. She scrambled from his embrace, taking advantage of his frozen state of shock at the action.

   "Don't you _dare_ touch me… _get away_!"

—END CHAPTER FOURTEEN—

* * *

_Post-chapter notes_: Is it just me, or is Gohan tending towards a little OOC? I'm gonna work on that a bit, get him more "in character" in the next chapter--but I think he's kinda entitled to acting a little out of character at this point, if you ask me. Anyway, I tried to go for a cliffhanger, really I did, but I…well, I lack smoc powers. Anyway, I figure everyone can determine just why Videl's acting that way, but the slap kinda brought it home. And just why have I taken so long, you may ask? Two words: Comic-con. Or is that one word? I dunno, don't care. But I did have a WONDERFUL time there, got to hook up with fellow elite author Psycho Ann—lemme tell ya, she's as psycho in person as she is online! Hehee, we had a great time at the con, got a lot of talking about various fics we're working done, all in all very profitable as well as enjoyable. We took plenty of pictures and will be posting them soon online, so look for the link! Until next time—sage


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